thought i'd continue the Young British Artists thing going and talk of DH. i first saw a shark at 'Sensation' in 1997. he paid the australian shark hunter Vic Hislop $10,000 to kill the creature. Hirst continued to source his sharks from Hislop when he needed to replace the eroding one in 2006.
the pickled animal pieces - shark, zebra, sheep, cow, etc are a bit like old time exhibits from a circus, and thats what i like about them. there is an accidental reference point to freak shows, and 'see the amazing creature from the deep' type of stuff.
i'm pretty sure Hirst hasn't quoted this influence.
the only thing missing is the beautiful old hand painted signs. they'd look better...
otherwise they bore me. shock tactics/murder given quasi intellectual turns of phrase. i'd rather see a living specimen.
