Pigeon Pavilion

About

Pigeon Pavilion
curated by Arianna Mercado & Izzy Waite
13 March – 3 April 2021

Bryan Giuseppi Rodriguez Cambana
Itos Ledesma
Mona Mohagheghi
Nana Wolke
Wu Pei Chi

Congregating in cities all over the world, pigeons have held a bad reputation for being over eager and ever present. Contemporary perspectives on the pigeon have tended to cast aside our long-shared history with the bird in favor of daydreaming of clean, uncluttered streets. Throughout time, pigeons have served as messengers, a source of food and symbol of love. They are a resilient breed and have provided much-needed assistance to humans during times of trouble. 

The Pigeon Pavilion hopes to explore and complicate the pigeon, its histories, and narratives. While pigeons are often looked down upon as an inconvenience, the history of the pigeon has inextricably been tied to our need for connectivity. Pigeons can be found across most continents in the world, and of those living in major cities, many have settled as refugees and immigrants. Its pervasive existence among urban landscapes reminds us of a history predating the telegraph, though conversely exposes the underbelly of living within densely populated areas of excess. Whether they are fighting over a discarded chicken wing or being used as a gambling tool, their history of mobility, resilience, and adaptability in the face of adversity is to be admired.

Graphic design by Yuji de Torres