Why did everyone have a serious solemn expression on their face? I guess because it was Hirst. At first the figure looks like an abstract construction, covered in shells. The colors are vibrant, dizzying even. As one gets closer to the sculpture by Damien Hirst at his Venice Biennale exhibition entitled “Treasures From The Wreck Of The Unbelievable,” it becomes clear that it is in fact Mickey Mouse. Yes, Mickey Mouse the Disney character. The piece is not quite life size but not miniature either. It becomes hard to draw one’s eyes away from the creation of mollusks, clams, and coral all overlapping and fighting for their place on Mickey’s body. I almost wanted to laugh at the structure when I realized it was Mickey Mouse but had to keep a straight face because everyone else did… why? Why did everyone have a serious solemn expression on their face - I guess because it was Hirst.
THE Damien Hirst who has not had a solo exhibition in twelve years and this was a rebirth of some sort. This work, and the exhibition is something that we all had to appreciate, bow down to, circle like sharks, ponder, write about (which, yes, I am) but most certainly not laugh at. There is an expectation to understand what Hirst is trying to convey with this exhibition before even walking through the door because it has been posted all over social media, talked about, written about and discussed by the elites of the art world. The viewer can see other visitors looking at each other with raised eye brows and even hands covering their mouths in efforts not to laugh at these (almost) silly creations. It is an exhibition, not a joke, I even have to say to myself over and over again as I encounter a life size construction of what appear to be sea monsters constructed in a dark blue (perhaps even an “ocean blue”) in the adjacent room of the Palazzo Grassi at the Punto Delagnona.
After wandering through each room not sure whether this is all a big joke or if Hirst is really trying to tackle a pressing issue in the world through Disney creatures made out of shells, I (hopefully along with fellow Biennale go-ers) come to the conclusion that there was no “wreck of the unbelievable”, no treasures, no discoveries, but simply just a theme for Hirst’s work - an interesting starting point perhaps. Although the art works do not deal with pressing world matters such as immigration, displaced peoples, or identity, like many other artists tackle in other pavilions of the Biennale, there is no denying that the exhibition is impressive. The grandeur, size, and colour of the statues alone are breathtaking even if the overall theme is lacking some serious substance.
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