UnNatural History, curated by Invisible Dust, explores the role of the artist as an intrinsic part of the science of natural history, informing our modern understanding of ecology, climate change, extinction and the threats to biodiversity.
The observational skills and techniques of artists, including their speculations, have enabled the development of the biological sciences since their inception. We learnt about plants and animals through drawings long before the advancements of technologies such as microscopes and photography.
Yinka Shonibare CBE’s Butterfly Kid Boy IV, 2019, is included in the exhibition which features works by over 20 international artists from Belgium, Germany, India, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Turkey, UK and USA. Four newly commissioned projects responding to the Herbert’s Natural Science Collection can also be seen.