Dimensions: image: 2140 x 1067 x 55 mm frame: 1135 x 2210 x 168 mm
Copyright: © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: So, this is Damien Hirst’s "Who's Afraid of the Dark?" from the Tate Collections. It's just…black. Like staring into a void. I'm curious, what do you see in it? Curator: Well, isn't that the point? It's confronting, isn't it? Hirst often dances with our anxieties, and here, he throws us into the deep end. The title itself is a dare, almost a taunt. Editor: A taunt? Curator: Precisely. What are we afraid of finding in the dark, in the unknown? Is it death, nothingness, our own inner demons? It's quite the psychological playground, wouldn't you say? Editor: I guess I never really thought about art as taunting. It gives me a new way to appreciate Hirst's works. Curator: Absolutely! And sometimes, the most profound art is the kind that dares us to look deeper into ourselves.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hirst-whos-afraid-of-the-dark-t12750
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Who’s Afraid of the Dark? is a rectangular canvas coated with a combination of flies and resin. The canvas was primed with black acrylic primer before the dead houseflies and clear resin mixture was poured onto it. This method of application resulted in an uneven surface with different levels and a variation in colour caused by the different fly parts (red, brown, black and white). The painting’s overall colour is a rich brown-black. The resin mixture increases the natural glossiness of the flies, with the result that the surface coating has a sticky appearance reminiscent of tar or toffee.
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