Damien Hirst

Mini Biography: Hirst was born in Bristol in 1965. He started becoming intrigued with death as a teenager. When he was 16 he began to make frequent visits to Leeds Medical School to create life drawings. In 1989 he graduated from Goldsmiths College in London. There he learned the significant difference between painting and sculpting. With his works he tries to explore death life, religion, beauty and science.

With Dead Head

1911

Photographic Print on Aluminum

22.5 x 30 in

Commentary on work: “‘With Dead Head’ is an expression of the difficulties inherent in attempting to understand our own mortality, and in dealing with the “unacceptable idea” of death.[2] Hirst explains: “To me, the smile and everything seemed to sum up this problem between life and death. It was such a ridiculous way of being at the point of trying to come to terms with it, especially being sixteen [...] This is life and this is death.”

Background information: His curiosity of death inspired this piece of art. He visited the morgue to learn more about death. At first he was scared and it made him feel sick but later he was able to become somewhat comfortable with the idea of life and death. This photo was taken of him and a head when he was 16 years old.

Relation to the exhibition: This peculiar piece fits into the exhibition quite well because of its focus on the dead. Also it is astonishing how someone so young can be so enticed by the complex nature of death. It is not every day that teenagers go and take a picture with a decapitated head. Hirst proves the line between life and death by having so much energy next to someone who has just had their life taken away from them.