Yes, But Is It Art?

Well, it seems that a cutting edge, super-influential mover and shaker on the British art scene has a wee bit of a problem. It seems that one of Damien Hirst's works, "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Something Living, 1991", is rotting. The work, which has a pickled tiger shark in it, was purchased two years ago for a record $11.8 million dollars. (Wise spending decision, sir.)

Hirst is in talks with the owner of the 1991 work, U.S. hedge fund manager Steve Cohen who bought it less than two years ago for what media said was 6.5 million pounds ($11.8 million), to replace the original specimen.

The work, called "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Something Living, 1991", was originally commissioned by collector Charles Saatchi for 50,000 pounds.

"When the shark was originally preserved 15 years ago, a different technique was tried," Science Ltd, the company run by Hirst, said in a statement on Wednesday.

"With this technique, formaldehyde wasn't injected into the deep tissues like it was with all the other formaldehyde works made before and after this," it added.

"This process didn't work and Damien has never been satisfied with the look of this shark. He is currently in discussion with Steve Cohen about refurbishing the work, though nothing has been decided yet."

According to The Art Newspaper the shark's skin is showing "considerable signs of wear and tear, and the shark itself has changed shape".

A photo of the work can be seen here. Our intrepid operative from Magic 8-Ball Photography and Cheese Factory, Inc. was able to get past security to get pictures of the changed sculpture. The first photo shows what a tiger shark should look like, the second is of how the sculpture looks now.

You simply have to love the world of art.

Other Links to this Post

1. Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » If It’s Tuesday This Must Be (Banned In) Belgium — Monday, 28 August , 2006 @ 10:02 am