Woking's Lightbox is playing host to a Damien Hirst exhibition until July 5, examining themes of belief, mortality, love, and consumption
Mention the name 'Damien Hirst' and the first thing that's likely to come to mind is Mother and Child (Divided), the frankly weird art piece currently on display in the Tate Modern - a cow and her calf, split in half and suspended in transparent tanks of formaldehyde. Far from an exercise in grotesquerie, Hirst intended it as a commentary on the fragility of life - we can see right inside the very machinery of life, captured in fragile glass, stripped of its sentiment.
It's a theme that runs throughout his work, and New Religion is arguably its culmination. First assembled in 2005, Hirst intended for the collection to address his belief that "for many people, science is the new religion". When looking for salvation and immortality, they turn to pills, not prayer. Now it's coming to the Lightbox in Woking, in association with Paul Stolper Gallery and The British Council.
This is the first time the exhibition has been on display in the UK outside of London, and it's already caused quite a stir. Both the Mayor of Woking Tony Branagan and Woking MP Jonathan Lord attended its private opening, where the Director of the Lightbox Marilyn Scott gave thanks to everyone who'd made the exhibition possible.
"It is almost impossible to secure an exhibition of Damien Hirst, such is the demand", she explained. New Religion is a particularly exciting collection to host, as it was "devised by Hirst as one piece that encapsulates many of the key themes that run throughout his work".
Indeed, the works are laid out in such a way as to resemble a painted fresco cycle. Visitors move from the Creation, through the Stations of the Cross, toward the Last Judgement, passing almost fifty prints and sculptures, such as an altar bearing a cedar cross studded with pills, and biblical chapters illustrated by medical drugs.
Paul Stolper has worked closely with Damien for many years, and noted that "[New Religion] looks particularly stunning at The Lightbox, as the use of space really fulfills what Damien was trying to achieve. The Main Gallery... lends itself very well to the 'church'-like feel that the exhibition is designed to evoke".
Hirst's work focuses on those points where religion, love, art and science meet - ultimately, he feels the exhibition's subject is optimism. "There are four important things in life: religion, love, art and science… Of them all, science seems to be the one right now. Like religion, it provides the glimmer of hope that maybe it will be all right in the end".
Entry requires a £5 annual pass, though under 18s enter free
You can find more information on The Lightbox
