Damien Hirst’s pricey piece For the Love of God.

THIS autumn sees the opening of a much anticipated exhibition at KIASMA highlighting the work of acclaimed British artist Damien Hirst and the Young British Artists who reinvigorated the British arts scene in the 1990s.

Utilising installations, paintings, sculptures and video on loan from private Finnish collections as well as KIASMA’s own acquisitions, Cream showcases a number of inspiring works that were responsible for a major shake up in the British art world, with the artists enjoying a status similar to rock stars in their time.

Hirst himself has gone on to become the richest living artist today. With death playing a central role in his work, he is famous for a number of controversial artworks that utilise dead animals as a centrepiece for social discussion.

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living became representative of the British art of the era worldwide, with its 4.3 metre shark immersed in formaldehyde becoming the iconic work of British art in the 1990s. Not to be outdone, Hirst’s ongoing work with animals has also included both sheep and cows in various stages of decay.

Further courting controversy, summer 2007 saw thousands of people lining up to catch a glimpse of For the Love of God, a human skull cast in platinum and covered with 8,601 diamonds – with a 100 million dollar asking price.

Along with the work of such notable Young British Artists as Tracey Emin and Helen Chadwick, Cream promises nothing less than an interesting exhibition experience at KIASMA