Damien Hirst

British artist, Damien Hirst, emerged onto the art scene in the late 1980s. His practice examines the complex relationships between mortality, religion and science, beauty and art. From suspending sharks in vast tanks of formaldehyde, to encrusting human skulls with diamonds, his works are both visceral and visually arresting, pushing the boundaries on what has come to define contemporary art culture. 

Hirst’s artistic career started with his move to London in 1984, where he studied Fine Art at Goldsmith College. During his studies, Hirst orchestrated Freeze, an independent student exhibition, housed in London’s docklands. The show was visited by Charles Saatchi and would mark a defining moment for Hirst and the group of artists known as the Young British Artists. In 1991, Charles Saatchi offered to fund Hirst’s artistic productions, resulting in the first Young British Artists exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery. Entitled ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living’, Hirst suspends a shark in formaldehyde. His ‘Natural History’ series exemplifies his fascination with art and science. Suspending nature in vitrines operates as both a barrier and a window to the viewer, aiming to throw fundamental light on the fragility of life . 

Damien Hirst’s artistry extends beyond one medium. In his spin paintings, a machine centrifugally disperses paint over the canvas spontaneously. This stands in complete contrast to his spot series which is calculated and meticulous. In 2007, Hirst created his most provocative work to date, ‘For the Love of God’, a platinum cast of a human skull covered with pave set diamonds. The work acts as a traditional memento mori, using art to address the transience of human existence. 

Since 1987, Hirst has had over 90 solo exhibition, he has been included in more than 300 group shows and now ventures outside the realms of art.