AN INSTALLATION FOR AGONGO. 1994. BLACK SILKSCREEN ON CLOTH.

Edinburgh: Demarco European Art Foundation, n.d. (1994)
21 x 13.5cm, black silkscreen on cloth as designed by Hirst with an appropriated US civil war image of a young black slave girl smoking a pipe and exposing her breasts. This is the very rare, sole documentation of an early Hirst installation (not really the ‘opera’ of the title) which consisted of a dark room into which the viewer entered unable to see much other than shadows and the faint sounds of scurrying. As the lights slowly came up a large cage was apparent: filled with pharmaceutical boxes and live rats (which for many was a deeply disturbing experience and somewhat unexpected). These small silkscreens were the hand-made promotional item for the show and Hirst produced them himself. Around 500 were produced in two variations of size and colour (blue on black and black on blue) and most were used as the promotional flyer for the event and handed out in the street. Very few can be assumed to have survived. In near fine condition. This is the black variant of the work.