FastSaying

I was taught to confront things you can't avoid. Death is one of those things. To live in a society where you're trying not to look at it is stupid because looking at death throws us back into life with more vigour and energy. The fact that flowers don't last for ever makes them beautiful.

Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst

AvoidBackBeautifulBecauseConfrontDeathEnergyEverFactFlowersLastLifeLiveLookLookingMakesMoreSocietyStupidTaughtThemThingsThoseThrowsTryingUsWhereYou

Related Quotes

In an artwork you're always looking for artistic decisions, so an ashtray is perfect. An ashtray has got life and death.
— Damien Hirst
AlwaysArtisticArtwork
I think art is good at looking back and looking forward. I don't think art is good at looking head-on. At the end of the day, people are more important than paintings.
— Damien Hirst
ArtBackDay
Painting is so poetic, while sculpture is more logical and scientific and makes you worry about gravity.
— Damien Hirst
AboutGravityLogical
The difference between art about death and actual death is that one's a celebration and the other's a dull fact.
— Damien Hirst
AboutActualArt
I've been asked to do a retrospective since I was about 28 and I always thought that was a bit odd. It's great to look forward as an artist because in the future the possibilities are infinite; you look back and it's all fixed so it's a scary thing.
— Damien Hirst
AboutAlwaysArtist