Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Damien Hirst takes studio break to unleash dad-dancing in new video

Hirst, wearing a ‘The Dancing Kid’ shirt, appeared to be working from his studio

Ellie Harrison
Thursday 02 February 2023 05:12 EST
Comments
Damien Hirst shows off his dance moves

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

British artist Damien Hirst has unveiled his dad-dancing in a new video on his social media.

Pausing his painting in a clip posted to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday (1 February), Hirst, 57, danced to the 2021 Justin Wellington version of the famous Mardi Gras song, “Iko Iko”.

His moves included shaking his head, wobbling his legs, and making swimming motions with his arms.

Hirst was wearing a white t-shirt emblazoned with the words “The Dancing Kid”, paired with paint-splattered trousers.

He made headlines last October after burning thousands of his paintings as part of his NFT project, The Currency.

Hirst, who was born in Bristol and raised in Leeds, emerged onto the art scene in the late Eighties while he was a student at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is known for his eclectic works, which are often focused on the subject of death.

He was one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) – along with Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk and Sam Taylor-Johnson (formerly Sam Taylor-Wood) – who dominated the UK art world in the Nineties.

Damien Hirst takes part in the burning of artworks at Newport Street Gallery in October
Damien Hirst takes part in the burning of artworks at Newport Street Gallery in October (Getty Images)

Among his most famous pieces are his eye-catching formaldehyde sculptures, including a 14-foot tiger shark preserved in a tank, titled The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. The work was commissioned by Iraqi-British businessman Charles Saatchi and created in 1991.

Hirst is believed to be the UK’s richest living artist, with an estimated wealth of $384m (£311m) according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2020.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in