Damien Hirst exhibit at Goss-Michael Foundation “too cool to pass up”

by Daniel A. Kusner of Dallas Voice

Don't allow fear to paralyze you. And don't listen to someone else tell you how mortified they were. Just go check out the "Damien Hirst" exhibit at the Goss-Michael Foundation, which contains seven works by the controversial British artist. It's way too cool to pass up.

There's only one piece that's sending folks into a tizzy -- "Saint Sebastian, Exquisite Pain." The work is a 10-foot tall glass chamber filled with formaldehyde solution that contains the body of a black calf. Attached to a steel beam, the furry little cow is pierced by dozens of arrows (that Hirst reportedly shot with a crossbow). It's gruesome, sad and powerfully alluring. It also evokes some startling reactions.

Last month, Kenny Goss unveiled "Saint Sebastian" during a preview shindig for the annual Two by Two for AIDS and Art gala. That means the gallery space was filled with a bunch of gay and gay-friendly Dallas socialites. Most of them grabbed their pearls in terror, and some rudely mocked it -- right in front of Goss.

Goss and George Michael have amassed a collection of British contemporary art that's valued at more than $200,000.

Michael reportedly bought "Saint Sebastian" for $7 million. At last month's reception, Goss explained that Saint Sebastian is historically considered the patron saint for gay men and that George said the piece reminded him of how he's "been crucified by the press."

Gallery-goers probably won't think of the pop star when looking at "Saint Sebastian." The formaldehyde solution creates an eerie magnification effect, and the calf's suffering yet placid expression is emblematic of martyrdom.

The other pieces aren't quite as overwhelming.

Two pieces represent death in a prettier way: "The Incomplete Truth" is another glass tank filled with formaldehyde solution. This time, a white dove is captured in mid-flight. And "Incorruptible Crown" is a dazzling canvass made of butterfly wings. The wings are so intricately assembled, the design create a pattern resembling a gorgeous stained-glass window.

Winged insects take on an entirely different aestheticism in "Bitterness," which is a big, nasty black swarm of flies. For this canvas, thousands of flies have been compacted and lumped together with resin. It's gnarly -- and it gets gnarlier the closer you look at it.

Two other works are seven-foot circular canvasses. And compared to the works that contain the remains of dead creatures, they barely stir interest: "Big Beautiful, Beyond Belief Tasteful Party Painting VII" and "Big Beautiful -- XIV." Some have compared these works to Jackson Pollock. Only Hirst incorporates shards of glass and mirror, and knife, X-acto and razor blades.

The "Big Beautiful descriptions also mention that the paintings incorporate "diamond dust," which is downright silly. But then Hirst is famous for "For the Love of God," a life-size human skull made of platinum and bedazzled with 8,000 diamonds, which he managed to sell for $100,000 to an unnamed investment group. And get this, Hirst will supposedly be paid in cash for the skull.

HIRST IMMERSED

"Damien Hirst" continues through March at the Goss-Michael Foundation, 2500 Cedar Springs Road. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Free. 214-696-0555.

GossMichaelFoundation.org.

HIV DOCUMENTARY THAT SCRAPPED GEORGE MICHAEL�S INTERVIEW AIRS ON WORLD AIDS DAY

On June 27, National HIV Testing Day, the newswires reported that George Michael spoke openly to Stephen Fry about being afraid of taking an HIV test.

Fry is the actor who excellently portrayed Oscar Wilde in the 1997 biopic Wilde. He was filming a documentary called �HIV & Me, which will be aired Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, on the Sundance Channel.

Michael apparently admitted to Fry that he hadn't had an HIV test since 2004 -- that he was afraid of the results. And that waiting for the results is too harrowing of an experience. Some may bash a gay superstar for publicly disclosing fear over an HIV test. But who can't understand that anxiety? In many ways, Michael sounded very candid -- to a fault.

SATURDAY SPECIAL: The two-hour program Stephen Fry: HIV & Me airs Dec. 1 beginning at 1 p.m. on the Sundance Channel.

But in September, he requested that the footage of his interview be removed -- mostly because it was too personal and dealt with the death of Michael's former lover, Anselmo Feleppa, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1995.

Michael's wish was granted.

Last month, The Goss-Michael Foundation hosted an event during the ninth annual Two by Two Art and Auction gala. A press release for the event said that "Musician George Michael and his partner Kenny Goss host an evening at The Goss-Michael Foundation to discuss the latest developments in HIV/AIDS research and a bold new initiative from amfAR."

The proposal was called "The MSM Initiative," a global research, advocacy and prevention program that's not aimed at the general public. MSM is for men who have sex with men, a population often ignored because male-male sex is still illegal in 85 countries around the world. Compounding the problem, MSM programs rarely benefit from funding because grants often flow through local governments.

It's no secret that Goss and Michael are dedicated to HIV charities and have been for a long time. But The Goss-Michael Foundation and the MSM Initiative seemed like a perfect fit. Unless there's a glaring contradiction.

The MSM Initiative specifically deals with unchecked statuses, denial and stigmatization -- the things that scare Michael and countless others.

Earlier this week, I e-mailed both Goss and his publicists about the foundation's support of MSM. However, the publicist's response makes it sound like the Goss-Michael Foundation would rather distance itself from the fundamental tenets of the MSM program.

The publicist's statement read: "The Goss-Michael Foundation provided the venue for the amfAR MSM initiative launch announcement. The Foundation did not have any role in launching the program."

What at first seemed like a proud and courageous step for the Goss-Michael Foundation now just sounds like the gallery was a fancy address for a fundraiser. Or Goss' publicists just got scared. As of press time, Kenny Goss hasn't replied to my e-mail.

While 2007 has been a rocky year for George Michael, his straightforward manner has been refreshing. Who'd complain if he threw his weight behind a program like the MSM Initiative?