Damien Hirst Exhibition Review

I have to admit that I generally found Damien Hirst's conceptual art more a case of the emperors new clothes than real art. However while in London last week I took myself along to his exhibition at the Tate Modern with an open mind to ask the question - could this possibly be art?


Spot Painting 1986 Damien Hirst 


The exhibition started with some of his earlier work- coloured pots and pans, boxes and thousands of spots. Nothing to write home about, nice colours, no one colour repeated and all the spots the same size and distance from each other. All very precise but there is a limit to the number of spots you can handle in one day before insanity strikes - a job he now leaves to his assistants. 
I then moved on to medicine cabinets filled with packets of drugs and medications of every sort.I could see the progression from the spot paintings as the boxes etc were displayed very meticulously and very scientifically by ailments of the human body. Surgical instruments were displayed in the same manner. At this stage I was no where near convinced - how could this hypochondriac with OCD and a bizarre obsession for surgical instruments be described as the most important and highly regarded artist of his time?


The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living 1991 Damien Hirst

I moved onto his Natural History series of animals preserved in formaldehyde. This was the part of the exhibition that I was sure would confirm my initial thoughts ie a shark in formaldehyde is no more than a pickled shark and has no place in an art gallery. I was intrigued by this magnificent specimen. As you look at the shark from different angles the image distorted and the shark looked like it was moving. If I saw this specimen in a natural history museum I would be astounded by its natural predatory beauty but because its in another building called an art gallery I'm supposed to think about this as art and to credit the creative genius of the artist. I think the credit belongs to nature.

Away From The Flock Damien Hirst     

Nearby encased in glass were the pickled cow and her calf and a pickled sheep. As a sheep owner I was obviously attracted to the sheep. I was amazed how the fleece appeared soft and fluffy as it does in a live specimen. The cow and calf were interesting exhibits of nature........ but of course they are in an art gallery so must be art exhibits ????




Crematorium 1996 Damien Hirst

I left the animals and was suddenly aware of the stench of stale fag reek. Before me, placed in front of the entrance to the next room, was an enormous ash tray filled with thousands of cigarette butts, ash and empty cigarette packets. I felt quite sick - not from the smell - more a gut reaction to the whole experience. This sculptural piece was attacking all my senses and I was being engulfed, almost smothered by the experience. I covered my nose and mouth and moved on.

In and Out of Love (White Paintings and Live Butterflies) 1991

In a hot humid atmosphere butterflies fly around sometimes perching on the few plants in the room which fight for attention against the beautiful colour display of the butterfly wings. Sometimes they feed on the bowls of rotting fruit. Initially I was amazed by the beauty of these creatures and then overwhelmingly saddened by their imprisonment . They may be in a safe environment to live their life cycle free from predators, but it's not a natural environment. In return they perform for an audience which has paid big bucks to their captor for the pleasure. Is this art ?......nature is the artist here not Hirst.
Butterflies are symbols of freedom. In some cultures they represent human souls. In medieval Ireland white butterflies are said to be dead children. White butterflies represent escape and death is the ultimate release .... here enters Hirst!

I am Become Death Shatterer of Worlds

After mesmerising us with the beautiful display of colour in flight Hirst continues the colour theme by sticking dead butterflies' wings onto board in a pattern akin to stained glass cathedral windows These are huge and beautiful and it took some time and close observation before I realised he had used real butterflies. I should have realised ..... Hirst doesn't do pretty..........or does he! What's wrong with dead butterflies continuing to give pleasure in death, after all their souls are free. Maybe we could find a way of preserving humans as memorials after death. We could place them anywhere, no grave would be necessary. We could clothe them or leave them naked. We could even use them as models for life drawing. Now there's a thought. I feel Hirst infilltraiting my brain.


There were many other exhibits and after a couple of hours I left the Tate head buzzing with a multitude of thoughts. How did I now view the work of Damien Hirst ?

Firstly I enjoyed the exhibition. It was thought provoking and did on occasion raise an emotive response...... but was this enough to call it art? Hirst has an obsession with exploring the world of opposites and in particular the life/death cycle. However I found the way he hijacked nature for this purpose distasteful and to pass it off as his art is fraudulent. Undoubtedly he is a successful  businessman and a multi-millionaire but his skill is in making money and not making art. Hirst lures people in by shocking them and then takes money from his captive audience.The art world is full of "Emperors" and Hirst has been shrewd enough to exploit this with the help of Charles Saatchi and he's laughing on the other side of his face.


So my initial thoughts were right. Putting a pickled shark in an art gallery doesn't make it art and it's about time we, the public, pulled the wool from our eyes and stopped feeding this airy-fairy, arty-farty, upper class society created to exploit individuals. From now on I'm keeping my eyes and mind wide open - hope you do too.