Damien Hirst's SKULL
There are no pockets in a
shroud
Money is on everyone’s mind as the global financial situation worsens. One view is that it was inevitable – everyone living on credit, and part of the material-driven society that we have become. I am reminded of a real-life story about a fisherman who found a message in a bottle – he took the plastic bottle from the sea as he thought his son could use it as a drinks bottle – this point stayed with me longer than the other details of the event. What we throw away without a care is a lucky find to those in poorer countries of the world. Wealth, and also the evils associated with it, has long been a popular subject for artists. I think Damien Hirst’s For the Love of God is truly remarkable – not a trinket of bling, but rather a Pandora’s box, or the complex puzzle in the movie Hellraiser – it is complicated and is a gateway to understanding all that wealth means to us. It holds up a mirror to the society that created it and asks it to take a long good look.
(artwork © Damien Hirst 2007)It was going to generate a huge response, nearly on par with God
Himself being conjured into embodied form and floated in
formaldehyde. Hirst did the next best thing and delved deep
into his creative core and created For the Love of God in 2007.
Although this work is not recent news, the issues it raises about
wealth and materialism fascinate me, and the current cash crisis is
again bringing money issues to the fore. A piece of art
reportedly worth £50 million, a platinum cast of a human skull
covered in 8601 diamonds – our eyes are boggling. Many would
say we now worship wealth above all – so perhaps our God has really
materialised in this piece.
Would the ultimate twist be to learn all the stones are imitation –
the work has no inherent wealth in relation to the stones – the
ultimate scoff at today’s art world. Our eyes are boggling at
cut glass – the promise of the most expensive art work ever sold –
we are in awe as it is just so decadent and expensive. How
would we feel if it was made of £50 of glass and tin.
Obviously it would still hold a high value as an art piece but could
it sell for £50million? Peter Fuss made a work For the Laugh
of God using plastic and glass as a cheaper “Polish labour” version
to offer the Brits as an alternative.
Surrounding Hirst’s skull there have been claims of plagiarism.
There has been controversy over whether the work has actually been
sold or if this is a ruse by Hirst, maybe for publicity or boosting
the value of his oeuvre. The artist "Laura" created an
imitation skull* and cheekily left it outside the White Cube gallery
alongside the rubbish as the Hirst exhibition packed up. For
the Love of God has certainly attracted attention - becoming
entangled in the best and worst of human traits, although it hasn’t
been stolen yet. Questions of morality, art and money are not
just raised by viewing the work itself, but also by the events
surrounding For the Love of God. A lesser [less expensive] art
work would not be attracting this – is money the root of all evil?
Even the title supposedly inspired by his mother’s question “For the
love of God, what are you going to do next?” suggests an edge of
desperation/exasperation. She needn’t have worried - the fact
he could make this piece even raises issues about how we treat
today’s artists – as the lucky ones become celebrities and can
afford to live like rock stars. I’m sure Hirst is aware that
his diamond skull is holding a mirror to his own life and position
in society.
For the Love of God’s real interest for me are the ideas that
radiate from it; and through us. The skull is traditionally a
reminder of our mortality. What do you think when you look at
it? Our thoughts give clues to our deep individual attitudes
to money and wealth. But now let’s look wider than that, as
the artwork speaks of what we value as a society. What does it
reflect back at us as a group: the society that recognizes and
celebrates Damien Hirst and his work, and that purchases his art?
We didn’t spend the money on the poor. We created an emblem of
extreme wealth. And laid it out to be revered. Or did we
need a statement we would notice to show us the truth?
END
[*Thrown out with the rubbish at the White Cube gallery - it turned out to be a spoof by an artist "Laura". Her skull featured 6522 Swarovski crystals. "Laura" is Laura Keeble. See her website www.laurakeeble.com to see her skull outside the gallery.]
Art is the means by which life reflects on, transforms and indeed creates its values; human life without it would not properly be human at all.
Antony Gormley