17th July, 2009 - Dead Sheep In Formaldehyde

I have just been to the Artists' Rooms exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh. The highlight was undoubtedly the series of rooms with Damien Hurst's stuff in it. One of his famous works - the dead sheep preserved in a glass case - was the star of the show in a way. I stumbled into the room by accident really, and there she was: frozen in time - looking as if you could clap your hands and she would shake her head and gamble out of the door and out into the gallery gardens to graze.

It was just her and me in the white gallery room. There she hung, suspended in some preserving liquid, as she has hung for more than a decade now. Her, looking a little sadly at me from the lifeless eyes; and me looking a bit embarassed at having disturbed her.

It is an arresting work. People slag it off, and say that it isn't art. But it says more to me - or at least as much - as a 17th century painting of a skull, or decaying fruit. Our bodies are shells. There is a flame within us that animates them,  but sure as eggs is eggs, we will not burn forever. formaldehyde