London & Partners

Damien Hirst at Tate Modern
Meera Syal in Much Ado About Nothing
2 Internationally-acclaimed
comedian Laurence Clark
happens to have a disability,
and is tired of being told how
‘inspirational’ he is. His hilarious
stand-up show, Inspired, has
toured the nation and finally
arrives at London’s Bloomsbury
Theatre on 7 Sep.
Bloomsbury Theatre, 15 Gordon
Street, WC1. 020 7388 8822.
thebloomsbury.com
3
Tate Modern’s (p. 74)
blockbuster exhibition
Damien Hirst (until 9 Sep)
is a chance to trace the conceptual
artist’s development since his rise to
fame and notoriety in the 1980s and
90s. Always surprising and sometimes
shocking, visitors to this retrospective
are greeted by Hirst’s astonishing
platinum and diamond skull in the
Turbine Hall. It boasts 8,600 flawless
white diamonds, plus one large
pear-shaped pink diamond set into
the forehead. Expect to see other
famous works including Hirst’s spin
paintings, his pickled shark (The
Physical Impossibility Of Death
In The Mind Of Someone Living),
and the bisected cow and calf
(Mother And Child Divided). Among
the most memorable are his butterfly
works, including an installation of
canvasses with pupae glued to them,
from which exotic live butterflies hatch
to flutter overhead.
London 2012 Issue August/September|LONDON PLANNER|visitlondon.com | 37