Day 9 - Dalanda Jalloh

Damien Hirst is a British artist who has made a name for himself by creating art that is “purposely provocative and disturbing”. He has accumulated riches due to his unique ideology about art, which consists of shocking the public. Through his successful marketing strategies, appeals, he has made a name for himself that will not soon be forgotten.

Hirst’s has a variety of marketing strategies. In one instance he is known to create intricate and creative titles that are an “integral part of marketing his work”. People flock to see the actual work of art that has been described by this intriguing title. The titles themselves can even produce as much discussion as the actual pieces themselves. In addition to unique titles, Hirst utilizes shock value to market himself. Many of his pieces are either unique in that few have created such oddly distinctive pieces or they are similar to existing pieces not well publicized from the original artist. One such piece was called The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, which depicted a tiger shark encased in glass and formaldehyde solution. A shark encased in glass had been done before by a man named Eddie Saunders who showcased a golden hammerhead shark in his JD electrical shop in 1989. After claiming how his shark was self-caught and “more handsome” than Hirst’s shark, Saunders got a lot of media coverage, however no offers to buy his piece. Another marketing strategy is his forwardness and introducing topics people shy away from. For examples, his pieces about death and mortality produce much discussion. The skull cast in platinum with human teeth was highly publicized project. He also had a prize-winning sculpture of a cow split in half, encased in two glass cases and a similarly split calf, called Mother and Child.

Most of the marketing appeal of Hirst is derived from this shock value and unexpected art pieces. He is controversial and controversy makes money. People are intrigued by what the next outrageous piece may be. This anticipation and interest in the shocking, is what gives Hirst his power. He has been branded as a powerful artist and his brand now goes a long way towards making him money. He is definitely an artist who has capitalized on people’s demand to be entertained and has provided this entertainment through the shocking and notorious works of art.

Picture of Damien Hirst: