British artist Damien Hirst
DOHA: Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) is hosting the first solo exhibition in the Middle East of iconic British artist Damien Hirst.
On view from October 10, 2013 till January 22, 2014 at AlRiwaq Doha exhibition space, Relics will present the largest collection of Hirst’s work ever assembled.
Relics spans over 25 years of Hirst’s artistic career and includes both iconic and previously unseen works.
Hirst explores the complex relationship between art, love, life and death. His instantly recognizable works include the Spot Paintings, the series of animals preserved in formaldehyde, and the diamond skull: For the Love of God (2007). His work bears testimony to his enduring fascination with the daily intrusion of death into life, and the inevitable decay of our bodies despite an increasingly unquestioning faith in pharmaceuticals. Often framing scenes within boxes, tanks or vitrines, he stages startling and thought-provoking situations in which life cycles play out, life wrestles with death, and cures become confused with illnesses.
Damien Hirst is widely regarded as one of the world’s most successful contemporary artists and has created some of the most seminal works in recent art history.
Emerging from the Young British Artist (YBA) movement that originated in London in the late 1980s, he was part of a group which became renowned for their audacious and often shocking works, receiving international acclaim and succeeding in revitalising the British art scene.
“With his own artistic language Damien Hirst changed our perception of London and the UK. There are very few artists in history that have had such a profound impact on high and popular culture. QMA is extremely proud to make this exhibition with Damien,” said Jean Paul Engelen, QMA Director of Public Art.
The exhibition will be curated by high-profile writer, critic, and internationally renowned curator Francesco Bonami, currently Manilow Senior Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
Relics is part of a series of cultural projects initiated by QMA to promote and support local and international art production, foster appreciation and understanding of artistic practices, and create opportunities for cultural dialogue.
“Underpinning the work of the Qatar Museums Authority is our belief that art can open up new channels of communication between diverse nations, peoples and histories,” said H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Relics is part of Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture, which celebrates and showcases the deep-rooted bilateral relations between Qatar and the UK.
The Peninsula
