Damien Hirst, The Enfant Terrible of British Art 

The cut of the cow's head and thousands of flies eating it, a gigantic shark taxidermied in a tank, a human skull covered with 8,601 diamonds - these disturbing works are all born from the hand of Damien Hirst, a British artist who made a groundbreaking influence on modern art. Amid his controversial reputation, he held an exhibition, 'Damien Hirst: Nothing is True but Everything is Possible,' in Seoul, MMCA (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea), making it the first exhibition in Asia.

Damien Hirst, one of the most influential contemporary artists, was born in Bristol and spent his childhood in Leeds, United Kingdom. As a child, he was fascinated by death and the mortality of human beings. He even took a picture in the morgue, laughing next to a severed head. He later became a student at Goldsmiths, University of London. And at the age of 23, he organized a group exhibition called 'Freeze (1988).' The exhibition was held in an abandoned warehouse, and the participating students organized their display by themselves, which was very sensational at the time. The students of Goldsmith who exhibited in the 'Freeze' were called the YBA, Young British Artist. And later on, the YBA became a key force of a new generation that changed the landscape of British art. His unique view of art also led Hirst to be recognized by prominent critics and sponsors, including Charles Saatchi who strongly supported Hirst.

So let's look at Hirst's works and find out why he is called 'The Enfant Terrible of British Art.' One of his most renowned works, 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991),' features a giant tiger shark preserved in a formaldehyde-filled tank. It makes the viewers in front of the shark feel the fear of death, but also emphasizes the human desire for immortality. 'For the Love of God (2007)' features a human skull cast in platinum covered with 8,601 diamonds. Through the collaboration of the skull representing death, the diamond symbolising eternity and beauty, Hirst reflected human's unending greed and the transience of life. It cost 14 million pounds in production costs, and Hirst reportedly sold it for 50 million pounds, but it was later revealed that Hirst was part of the group that bought the work. Lastly, 'Sinner,' made when Hirst was a college student, was impacted by his grandmother's medicine cabinet. It shows humans' blind faith in modern-day medical technology and science. He reflected on the question: of whether science and medicine can fully replace religion.

Hirst's style of expressing concepts, like using a real dead creature in the work, or displaying a cruel taxidermy, caused a lot of criticism and animal cruelty controversy. He also faced criticisms about excessive focus on commercialism. But besides those controversies, Hirst is still considered one of the most influential modern artists and a pioneer who changed the view of contemporary art. He led the British contemporary art scene as the leader of YBA, and he showed that artists can also auction their works by themselves. Hirst was the one who brought conceptual art into the mainstream. And his works throw a deep question about the meaning of death, and force the viewer to see the essence of human desires.
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정지후 CSIS (Christian Sprout Intercultural School)  G9 (9학년)

teen Article Writing​