Damien Hirst in Doha

On Friday, Stephen's one day off, we got to visit some of the art exhibits in Doha. The one that got a lot of press worldwide is the Damien Hirst exhibit. There was an article in the New York Times a few weeks ago about the art world's keen interest in the art scene in Doha. The Hirst exhibit was the focus of the buzz.

Hirst's ideas supporting his art are to me more interesting than the pieces themselves. 

One line from the literature about the exhibit - Hirst since the late 80's has "used a varied practice of installation, sculpture, painting, and drawing to explore the complex relationship between art, love, life and death."I was not allowed to take my camera into the exhibit, but what was maddening was that people were allowed to take pictures with their phones and iPads. This seemed totally unfair to me. So the pictures I have are of the reproductions decorating the lobby.

I liked the butterfly displays best, but hate to think he might have shortened a butterfly's life or reproductive capability by assembling so many for his very large works. Hirst has literally thousands of butterfly wings in the various arrangements, some like stained glass rose windows. 

Stephen wears his Pappy visor everywhere we go thinking he will create a series of  pictures asking, "Where's Pappy?" 

The installation enclosed in a glassed in area in the exhibit featuring a severed cow's head still oozing blood and swarming with real flies was repulsive, but I guess that is the idea. Just now it made me think of Emily Dickinson's poem, "I heard a fly buzz when I died." I think she uses the fly image in the same way - as a reminder that life goes on even in death, for surely the flies were feeding on the flesh of the cow's head. He also had an electronic insect zapper in the enclosure that, of course, would kill the flies that come in contact with it, so again a reminder of the interrelatedness of life and death. All of the displays of cigarettes and pharmaceuticals were also thought provoking.

One of his most iconic works is the series of dot paintings which are as he says a celebration of color and came from his "desire to overcome the infinite possibilities of a blank canvas."

This is the building erected for this exhibit, adorned with the iconic dots Hirst is known for.