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Damien Hirst's Cornucopia at the British Museum

Damien Hirst explores the symbolism of the skull and the futility of decorating plastic skulls in an attempt to make death more palatable. Curator Colin McEwan discusses skull imagery in Meso-American cultures, where the skull alludes to both death and life. © Trustees of the British Museum. Created by British Museum.

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Video transcript

museums are always feel like dead artists something really like the idea of her modern archaeology or something like that so he can take something like these these skulls that I've got an input spin painting on them so they become like a really modern thing just seemed like something you know something that would look like it was in the right place but also a bit out of place there are many unanswerable questions in my family and that's one of them I think the skull is a really great symbol because it just doesn't give you any answers in it just constantly hammers homeless you know mini car you know it's almost like you're holding the skull of a loved one you would never you know you never connect with the person how's it looking you know this kind of optimism and the hope associated with the you know trying to decorate a skull you know it's just you know such a futile thing you know to make death more possible when it's you know totally unpalatable I think that came from that from this from the you know the Mayan skulls and the Aztecs goals that I've seen in the British Museum and both I've seen since in Mexico skull imagery is an integral part of Mesoamerican cultures including the Aztecs there are allusions to both death and life the reflection upon skull imagery and death is part of a continual process of dealing with the uncertainties of life itself and death as an integral component of that alignment I love it awesome you