British artist Damien Hirst is known for his ability to shock – not least with his controversial pieces using dead animals preserved in formaldehyde. His piece from 1991, titled The Physical Impossibility of Death In The Mind Of Someone Living, is a tank containing a fourteen foot dead tiger shark. This is a classic case of contemporary art turning back to the age-old theme of life and death.
From Egyptian tomb paintings to Renaissance portraits, art has a way of commemorating the dead. Hirst’s work features an animal rather than a person, but it, too, deals with death. The shark’s preserved body is meant to get us thinking about the subject of life and death. However, it almost looks alive and floats in the tank as if it were swimming. This makes it difficult to accept that it is really dead, which demonstrates the “impossibility of death in the mind of someone living.”
Hirst’s work has become a landmark of contemporary art and is part of his Natural History series (1991-2013) which exemplifies his interest in bridging the gap between art and science. The rest of the series includes taxidermic animals, including sheep, cows, a zebra, and even a “unicorn” – some of which are dissected or splayed.
In 2015, Hirst opened the Newport Gallery in London to share his collection of works with the public.
*Note: Damien Hirst is one of the top 10 world’s richest living artists with an estimated worth of $1 Billion.