Sharks are our friends

I went to see the Damien Hirst retrospective at the Tate Modern yesterday. It was certainly an experience and although I have come across his work before, I have never seen it in exhibition. Perhaps predictably, I enjoyed looking at the diamond encrusted skull (entitled “For the Love of God”) and also the cabinets of manufactured diamonds, but I found the butterfly room the most depressing. The butterflies were beautiful, but knowing that they would all die within the confines of their stuffy whitewashed room was a bit overwhelming. I also found the installation with the severed cows head fairly unnecessary. I thought the formaldehyde animals were gruesome, yet kind of scientific, but the formaldehyde sharks were a step too far for me. I suppose because they are so large and usually quite dominating, I found the sight of them so exposed a little unsettling. The sea-lover and diver in me took over! Was a good day out though and I enjoyed post formaldehyde steamed buns at Ping Pong. Today I have been experimenting with repeat patterns with a sharky theme:

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