Viewing Damien Hirst at YSP

Of all the works created by British artist Damien Hirst, it is perhaps his sculptures that are most controversial. In recent years he’s made global headlines with explosive works such as Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable and The Miraculous Journey, a series of sculptures charting the cycle from conception to birth which he installed outside a women’s hospital in Doha in 2018.

Currently on display at Yorkshire Sculpture Park are four of Hirst’s most recognizable giant bronzes, among them Myth (2010), a white unicorn with half of its skin flayed. Elsewhere, near the Lower Lake, stands The Virgin Mother (2005-2006), a 33-ft-tall statue which shows a foetus curled within the womb.

What strikes here is the harmony between work and environment: ‘The giant bronze sculptures at YSP are where they belong,’ says Hirst. ‘They’re just made for that setting.’ We couldn’t agree more.