Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg removes Damien Hirst's fly installation following PETA complaints

The Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg has taken down Damien Hirst's 1990 installation A Hundred Years after animal welfare complaints from PETA. The work features a bisected glass case where flies hatch, are lured to an artificial light, and electrocuted, described by Hirst as 'a life cycle in a box'. Originally shown with One Thousand Years in London in 1990, which includes a severed cow's head, the piece faced criticism under Germany's Animal Welfare Act, which prohibits harming animals without a 'rational reason'. PETA stated that 'killing animals has nothing to do with art', calling it a display of human arrogance. Museum managing director Otmar Böhmer acknowledged that animals should not be exploited for entertainment, and the institution is seeking to contact Hirst or his representatives about possibly using artificial flies or never exhibiting the work again in Germany. Director Andreas Beitin noted uncertainty over whether flies are covered by the act. The decision follows a report by Spiegel.