Damien Hirst’s spot paintings, spin paintings,
medicine cabinets, dead sharks in formaldehyde and
diamond-encrusted skulls have become familiar around the globe.
Hirst’s work insistently addresses the same concerns: death, the
body, the relationship between the sacred and the profane, between
reason and superstition. His preoccupations are therefore perfectly
suited to the Enlightenment Gallery,
where he commandeers eight antique wall cases and fills them with
200 unique spin-painted plastic skulls.
Hirst’s fascination with skulls was initially inspired by the
Museum’s collections, including the famous Crystal Skull.
Cornucopia exploits the evocative,
ritualistic qualities of such objects, and together they appear
like a sinister shrine to a bloodthirsty deity. They offer a dark,
superstitious riposte to the Enlightenment concerns – reason,
collection and classification – that surround them.