If you live in London, or find yourself there, it is hard not to stumble on a Damien Hirst statue. His work continues to decorate the British capital and more pieces are popping up. By the Thames on the Greenwitch peninsula now satnds a gigantic statue, made of bronze. Demon with Bowl was created in 2014 and last year property developer Knight Dragon planned to install Hirst’s 18-metre-high bronze sculpture where it stands today.
The statue is part of Hirst’s Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable series. It made it’s first appearance in the courtyard of Palazzo Grassi during the 2017 edition of the Venice Biennale. Moreover, Hirst has other pieces in the area too. The Mermaid and Hydra and Kali is most probably the most famous one. Now the artist has transformed this part of the city into a smorgasbord of art by the Young British Artists (YBAs).
Additionaly, the fans of Damien Hirst can see an impressive gold statue across town. Saint Bartholomew, Exquisite Pain, is a tribute to one of the original 12 disciples who was skinned alive. This is a gold polished tribute statue to the saint. It stands in the south transept of the 900-year-old St Bartholomew the Great church.
What the saint is holding in his hand, is not a classic knife, but a scalpel. Moreover, the hospital across the church uses the instrument. “I added the scissors because I thought Edward Scissorhands was in a similarly tragic yet difficult position,” Hirst said to The London Dead blog.
