The Dark Monarch

The Dark Monarch
Towner Gallery Eastbourne 23rd of January - 21st of March

The Dark Monarch was interesting collection of work which takes its title from a 1962 book by Sven Berlin, The exhibition focuses on folklore mythology and occult and how it has influenced British art over the past hundred years. The exhibition includes work by a number of significant 20th-century British artists including work by Damien Hirst.

I visited the exhibition on last Saturday. I found the exhibition interesting even though I was apprehensive that it would be quite a dark heavy or gloomy atmosphere, I was pleasantly surprised by the lightness of it. There were many dark and eerie landscape paintings for sure but mainly the feeling was of a lightness for me. I especially liked ' the child's dream' by Damien Hirst. The unicorn which is encased in a tank of formaldehyde represents a powerful symbol of good in pagan mythology. The unicorn is created from a beautiful white fall with a gold horn and gold hoofs. The formaldehyde makes the hair on the uniform float as if it is `staticly charged, making it appear more alive. The tank is framed in gold, 24 carat plated. It stands in its own room like an object to be worshipped or alter emphasising a feeling of reverence, like a golden calf.(A false god perhaps?)