Flashcards on Damien Hirst's The Physical Impossibility of Death
Damien Hirst's The Physical Impossibility of Death: An Analysis
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Damien Hirst artwork
13 cards
Card 1
Question: What is the title of Damien Hirst's 1991 artwork featuring a preserved shark?
Answer: The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living
Card 2
Question: When was 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living' created?
Answer: 1991 (conceived in 1989 while Hirst was at Goldsmiths)
Card 3
Question: What does Hirst's 'Natural History' work consist of?
Answer: A thirteen-foot tiger shark preserved in a tank of formaldehyde contained within a steel and glass vitrine divided into three cubes.
Card 4
Question: How much did the artwork weigh in total and what are notable dimensions described?
Answer: Weighing a total of 23 tons; the steel and glass vitrine is three times longer than high and divided into three cubes.
Card 5
Question: Where did Hirst first conceive the idea and what earlier work influenced the title?
Answer: He conceived the idea while at Goldsmiths; the title was taken from his student thesis on Hyperreality and the work of Robert Longo and Umberto Eco.
Card 6
Question: What did Hirst say the title was meant to describe?
Answer: A statement he used to describe the idea of death to himself.
Card 7
Question: Why did Hirst choose to present a real shark in a gallery setting rather than a painting or lightbox?
Answer: He wanted to force the viewer out of their element by introducing a shark that was real enough to frighten you.
Card 8
Question: How does the work use formaldehyde conceptually?
Answer: Formaldehyde isolates the shark from its natural habitat and provides an illusion of life, exploring our fears and the difficulty of expressing death.
Card 9
Question: What cultural impact did the sculpture have when first exhibited?
Answer: It generated colossal press attention and became one of the most iconic images of contemporary art.
Card 10
Question: At which exhibition and gallery did the sculpture gain major attention in 1991?
Answer: Exhibited at The Saatchi Gallery's 'YBA 1' at Boundary Road in London (1991).