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Our minds cleansed we arrived in Venice to the land of ‘Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable’ by Damien Hirst
Hosted by White Cube and Gagosian we were a small group of older and younger generations standing together. Tiffany and the nonagenarian philanthropist Stefan Edlis ready to take it all in at the Palazzo Grassi
And then the Punta della Dogana
The exhibition was vast and included photographic evidence of the works submersion under the sea for thousands of years before being discovered by Damien. From Mickey Mouse
to the Jungle Book
and to the different versions of Barbie through her 50 years of life. All of which I loved
The Mattel copyright printed on their backs
Here’s proof of the Barbie’s age and prior existence, in a museum in Paris somewhere back in the 1930s. There were all sorts of purposeful discrepancies to keep reminding the viewer this was someone’s fantasy and not a reality
The head of Medusa in pure Lalique glass
And what bargains there were as well. A mere $450 000 a pop
and the mega works coming in at the lower millions. Mind boggling
There were also so many details that could be easily missed as you walked past in a hurry, ready to see the next sculpture
Damien had created what felt like a marketing extravaganza with a zillionaires buzz
But joking aside, it really was a spectacular, decorative, visionary experience that can really excite the senses I heard many of the works sold in a few hours to dealers and some of the wealthiest collectors in the world, meaning Damien had quite likely already recouped his expenses. The work did feel desirable; much like when you might buy that special dress or piece of jewellery and there was a strong sense that if you did acquire work you were to become part of a very special club. But in this instance we were there to admire and not purchase. I feel there are so many other important ways to work in the art world especially through education or perhaps for me, being an old fashioned patron
We were treated to some lovely magical moments; like this one with Tiffany, Damien and myself
Hans-Ulrich Obrist with a really big, happy smile cuddling Damien
Maja Hoffmann was as mesmerised as I was
This was my favourite sculpture; even the Greek civilization could not have created this one in a hurry!
Poju in awe of the size and ambition of all these works
Tiffany and I taking in one of the most beautiful places in the world and relieved to be back on the Venice ‘streets’ in a sort of fantasy world
Our reward at the end of the day, not that we needed one, was to stand in front of the awful Red Hot Chili Peppers listening to them sing Californication… says it all!
