Despite the conflicting emotions usually felt towards Damien Hirst, he is one of my favourite artists. People argue he is not really a conceptual artist because his works simply discuss profundities, such as life and death in The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991), so there is no actual concept there. However, I believe that there is no greater concept than that of life and death, and love and hate etc. Despite not physically creating his work, the pieces still resonate with me (and sometimes artists do need help). It is important to recognise that Hirst has been a great contributor to the British Art scene, especially because of the controversy and radicalism involved with his works.
The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991)
Technology and Heartache (2014) was not created with Hirst in mind, and I did not try to replicate his formaldehyde pieces, it was just a medium that I thought would work well to portray the message I wanted to convey. However, in retrospect, one could argue that it heavily inspired by Hirst. As one of my favourite artists, it is likely that his work will always have a subconscious, indirect influence on my practice.
Argininosuccinic Acid (1995)
Furthermore, Hirst’s argues that his spot paintings adopt a ‘scientific approach to painting’. The pieces entail grids of various coloured spots, some of which exclude the colour black because it was too prominent. These works interest me and concur with my Part 1 work (sculptures and paintings that were rather clinical and precise). Therefore, I could develop this ‘clinical’ style of work through other mediums, such as video, and the use of repetition.
Puneet Bhachu 