saturday, february 02, 2008
Silence of the Lambs- Damien Hirst at Lever house, NYC
Thoughts on the 2008 Lever House Commission School : by Damien Hirst- AKA The Silence of the Lambs. Simply one opinion….. by Paul Seftel
This current outing for Hirst, not only is superficially deep, but is deeply superficial. At this point we are aware, that he has the ability to work with carcasses and formaldehyde, and pills in cabinets with far greater virtuosity than his handling of paint. Or at least he is able to instruct minions to organize materials in some predetermined manner. This piece called School; and the faux mysticism represented is just another way that Hirsts’ ability to pull the wool over his audiences’ eyes is celebrated. Perhaps, he sees himself as the Great Teacher, the Artist standing at the front of the classroom, disguised as a reference to Francis Bacon and Rene Magritte, for the purpose of steeping the work in further art historical reference. If I were either of those multi faceted talented painters, and being invoked for this side show, I’d be pissed! Are we, the public and ‘art world’ at large, his sheep, being fed intravenously by his great all seeing wisdom as he reflects naïvely on the nature of life and death, with reinforced glass and gallons of formaldehyde? Is the awe that we are expected to have, and the enigma of supposed religiosity that he is attributed, what makes us truly his silent sheep?
I think this commission for Hirst, like most of his body of work, is yet another exhibition of his ability to print money. There is no transformation, or old age alchemy by the artist, just the ability to debase a good idea. There exists no metaphorical gold for the viewer, just a small idea made huge, backed and given gravitas by his corporate clients. Glasses of water and piles of sand… Anyone who has read an ounce of poetry or philosophy, let alone had a free thought, knows that indeed the desert is an ocean, and the ocean is a desert, and that a glass of water and a pile of sand are no more or no less than what they are. Any imbued wisdom, or further prescription, is simply called ‘bullshit baffling brains’. …Cigarettes and ashtrays – Damien’s trademark throwing together of his working process, assumes relevance beyond worth. References to Infinity and eternity, knowledge and desire are simply absurd, simply making us think of the tale of the emperors’ new clothes. In terms of aesthetics, I’m glad there were buckets at the end of the aisles, for were needed as a result of this sickening display. Walking outside, and seeing the giant sculpture of the pregnant woman half dissected, I thought the ‘Bodies’ exhibitions, which have been circulating for a number of years, say so much more, with such succinct and sincere beauty and artfulness, than Hirst will ever. I’m just sorry that Lever along with other collectors and institutions have allowed themselves to be sucker punched by the Hirst Hype.
Perhaps the problem is social, where mystique is so replaced by commercialism, that it takes an outlandish and naïve artist to promote his ugly obsessions repetitively, for us to wake up and think that there is ‘something else’ ‘out there’. Or maybe he is ‘the teacher’, the school is the ‘art world’ and he illustrates like any good teacher, that we should discount what we are told, and think for ourselves.
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