Damien Hirst's Mental Escapology Opens Across Five St. Moritz Venues

Damien Hirst's itinerant exhibition Mental Escapology, curated by Jason Beard and produced by Oscar Humphries with Marco Voena, is on view in St. Moritz until April 5, 2021, across five locations. The show was anticipated by The Monk, installed on the frozen lake in early 2021. On the lake's southwestern side, Two Figures with a Drum from Hirst's 2017 Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable series at Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana in Venice is displayed. Temple, a nearly 6.5-meter bronze anatomical model, stands before the Waldhaus Am See hotel. Proteus, depicting the ancient Greek sea god, is placed in front of the Protestant Church of St. Moritz. The indoor portion is housed at Forum Paracelsus, an 18th-century building on a former thermal bath site dating to 1400 BC, known for its iron-rich curative waters. This location ties into Hirst's exploration of science and medicine. Inside, works include Stripper (2006), a stainless steel vitrine with surgical instruments; formaldehyde pieces from the Natural History series; and the hyperrealist painting Surgical Tools for Caesarean. Other series featured are Natural History, Spot Paintings, Butterfly Color Paintings, and Mental Escapology, creating a dialogue between natural and artificial, truth and illusion, contemporary and historical.