Hirst’s virtual ‘Pharmacy’ goes online
Artist Damien Hirst put one of his artworks online today as part of a major new collaboration with the Tate Modern.
Pharmacy, which recreates a chemist shop, has been newly installed at the London gallery and can now also be viewed by visitors to the Tate web site.
The virtual reality site offers a 360 degree panorama of the room and features an exclusive audio interview with the artist.
Hirst said he hoped the on-line collaboration would open up his work to a new audience.
‘‘I think it’s great that my work is going on the Tate’s web site. It’s a very different thing for an artist to be able to make it work on the Internet rather than just in a gallery.
‘‘Now it can be viewed by people who are interested in art but who would otherwise not be able to visit a gallery like this,’’ he said.
Hirst got the idea for the installation, which was previously on view at a New York gallery, while growing up in Leeds.
‘‘I saw all these people going into the chemist and I thought wouldn’t it be good if art could inspire such total trust.
‘‘All these people were putting their faith in little white pills and they were believing in medicines in exactly the same way that I wanted them to believe in art.’’
The US terrorist attacks on September 11 have given art an even more important role to play in people’s lives, according to Hirst.
He said: ‘‘People want to cheer themselves up. I think people need art now.
‘‘When things are going really well people are less interested in art, and I hope now art will take people’s minds off the situation.
‘‘Art is an illusion, it is not like the real world and it should be a form of escape.’’
Hirst’s installation is the first of a new series of works by contemporary artists to be featured on the web site.
A spokeswoman said: ‘‘This collaboration brings art into your living room and makes it accessible to everyone.’’
