14 DAY TRIAL // Artist Damien Hirst recently drew both significant media attention and complaints from conservationists worldwide after he saw fit to kill as many as 9000 butterflies for his “In and Out of Love” exhibit.
Sources report that the insects were placed by Damien Hirst in two large rooms which had no windows, and left there unattended. As was to be expected, the butterflies eventually died.
Greenheads claim that the artist had no right to do so, and that butterflies, together with all other animal species, are meant to spend their lives in the wild.
On the other hand, Damien Hirst argues that, “The butterflies used in this work were all selected from varieties known to thrive in the condition created. The butterflies lived out the final stage of their natural life cycle inside the room.”
The exhibit can be seen at the Tate Modern museum in London.