Il Guardian intervista Damien Hirst in occasione di “The Souls”, la sua nuova mostra londinese.
Qui qualche estratto.

Elizabeth Day: The writer Michael Bracewell has said that you are “primarily a great religious artist”. Do you agree?

Damien Hirst: Did he say that? Erm, I wouldn’t say that, no. I think I like big issues, but I don’t believe in God or religion. Having said that, I was brought up Catholic till I was 12 – basically indoctrinated – so there are lots of things in there that can’t come out. My dad wasn’t religious but mum was. Dad wouldn’t go to church. They divorced when I was 12 and you can’t carry on being Catholic if you’re divorced so that’s when I began thinking, “That’s a pile of crap.”
I mean, religion is serious shit, isn’t it? We’re all trying to find our way through the darkness in our lives. Religion can be one part of that. For me, I like a bit of everything: a bit of art, science and religion.

ED: As an adolescent, you were arrested for shoplifting and went through a rebellious phase. Was that related to abandoning Catholicism?

DH: No. Crime is creative. Or it can be.

ED: A lot of your work features images of death. Are you morbid?

DH: I don’t think so. 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.