Damien Hirst's Formaldehyde Sculptures of 'Natural History': Dead Sharks, Six Limbed Calves and More

hi welcome to contemporary art issue today we'll be talking about a chop top shark a pick who has been split open in half a decapitated cow and a cough with six limbs welcome to the exhibition review of damien hurst's natural history at gogojian gallery for the first time in history an overview exhibition has been dedicated to damien hurst's formaldehyde sculptures since march 9 of 2022 more than 20 iconic artworks are on display at gogojan's britannia street gallery in london damien hurst rose to fame in the late 1980s with often shocking artworks pushing the boundaries of not only good tastes and what is morally acceptable but also of what contemporary art is or could be in 1991 the young british artist shocked the world with arguably his most iconic sculpture he ever made titled the physical impossibility of death in the mind of someone living a 14-foot tiger shark ready to strike you down with a single snap of his jaws however the shark wasn't made from marble wood or wax it is as real as it is that preserved in a tank filled with formaldehyde a chemical compound from hydrogen oxygen and carbon best known for its preservative and antibacterial properties the shark sculpture would be the first of an ongoing natural history series driven by hurst's four favorite teams life depth science religion today three decades later and with a different zeitgeist and frame of reference we return to hurst's notorious formaldehyde sculptures after a series of less adventurous dots and cherry blossom paintings in 2022 it is an understatement to say hurst dead animals might spark some controversy and conservation in the public opinion animal rights have never before been as prominent as today but even though hurst is not the only one using dead animals in his profession he shows the coldness and brutality of death with unseen honesty his formaldehyde sculptures are more than just a gimmick of preservation and a quest for sensation in art at the same time as we are shocked and incensed by those sculptures we are also intrigued life versus death is and always will be one of the great dichotomies and we're confronted with it much closer than we're used to we lure at those dead carcasses feeling sorry for the passing of their soul but simultaneously we are investigating the earthly remains bones flesh and even bowels with our very own eyes whereas many might wonder is this art the more important question coming to the mind of any beholder would be is this life or rather is this death even though their bodies are isolated and preserved we are confronted with the inevitability of death and decay a second major dictamy and natural history is without any doubt science versus religion traditionally speaking both terms are viewed as opposites religion ends where science starts however with her sculptures both terms seem to merge into a new synthesis effectuated by art and art history in fact why be surprised art has always had a very strong connection with both science and religion a junction damien hurst eagerly tackles and an often subtle or rather direct manner besides art historic references to forensics the two carcasses in the backdrop of francis bacon's figure with meat from 1954 or the similarities concerning the aesthetics and structures of the skeleton of the tanks reminiscent to minimal art think for instance solute structures damien hurst implements also a religious iconography in order to emphasize the juxtaposition of science versus religion kainen abel from 1994 shows two calves next to each other isolated in separate tanks the title refers to the story of the two brothers cain and abel from the book of genesis in which the first would kill the latter a tale about death jealousy and divinity as we approach those two poor calves as brothers or what about the ascension from 2003 hearst presents a calf with six limbs vertically in the tank as if it's been swirled up to heaven here the british artist tackles the absurdity of the afterlife using the pictorial tradition of the assumptio as a visual apologia arguably one of the more shocking sculptures besides the fleeing crucified cows must be the beheading of john the baptist from 2006 a brutal scene and a favorite subject of many masters throughout art history think of caravaggio's epidominus masterpiece at the start of the 17th century a decapitated cow is found on a white tiled floor its head is lying on the butcher's table accompanied with colorful knives above there is a clock sitting still at 11 53 as hearst reflects on halt of time due to death and its fittedness if having an emotional reaction in front of an artwork is one of the key indicators of the artwork to be successful then it's safe to say damian her sculptures succeed in inciting our emotions and senses the inconvenient truth is however that we're not only shocked by those mortal remains and the raw depiction of death we are shocked with how we continue to be utterly fascinated by death no matter how civilized no matter how morally developed we are the inherently human desire and fascination for life's great dichotomies is as inevitable as death itself as is the lasting impact of damien hurst formaldehyde sculptures [Music] thank you so much for watching today feel free to watch our video on the top 10 ukrainian artists today next and please consider subscribing to stay posted for more contemporary art see you soon see you soon too

Channel: Contemporary Art Issue

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Id: yOiv1bkXC3M

Length: 7min 13sec (433 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 17 2022