Known for creating evocative and often controversial works, Damien Hirst rose to notoriety as one of the Young British Artists who commandeered the U.K. art scene during the 1990s. Hirst presents a challenging body of work including sculptures created with real animal carcasses, Spots paintings and pharmaceutical-themed installations. While Hirst’s pieces have found well-deserved homes within the walls of the highest art galleries, you don’t need to venture far to see one in person in Las Vegas.
Expertly designed by Hirst himself, Unknown Bar at Palms boldly houses The Unknown (Explored, Explained, Exploded), a trisected shark sculpture created in 1999, surrounded by titillating Spots paintings.
With juxtaposition often central to Hirst’s work, Unknown Bar fits right in. The colorful Spots paintings that line the walls make the space exuberant and inviting while also providing structure from their neatly gridded pattern. Contradicting the jolly wall art, the space heavily features white and gray marble that challenges the exuberance of the Spots while also introducing organic lines that counter the form found upon the walls.
The 13-foot-long segmented tiger shark, preserved in formaldehyde, sits in three glass tanks providing a thought-provoking centerpiece. That counterpoint between Spots and sculpture is again apparent as the biological form sits staunchly trapped within the confines of the triptych-like installation.
Palms, 866.752.2236
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