“You have to step over the boundaries sometimes just to find out where they are.” -Damian Hirst

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been mesmerized by the fantasy of lost treasure. It all began with a beach trip where my little brother and I found a “real life” treasure on one of the North Carolina barrier islands. To a 5 and 3 year old, we could not believe our luck. After hearing the stories of pirates, shipwrecks and buried treasure from our cousins, we were convinced this dilapidated box was indeed pirate booty. An ancient treasure map of the island fell out as we opened it along with old coins, rusted nautical instruments, and other items from the “ship.” It was not until years later we discovered that our fun-loving mother had concocted this adventure with the help of aunts, uncles and older cousins to make our summer unforgettable.

I was incredibly intrigued to read about Damian Hirst’s “Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable” that he had spent over 10 years working on for this year’s Venice Biennale. Lauded as the most expensive exhibition ever created, the show has created much fanfare and controversy in the art world….as only one of Damian Hirst’s can. Always pushing boundaries, the artist’s concept for the show is pure fiction….created in Damian’s imagination and brought to life in a palazzo on The Grand Canal in Venice.

As luck would have it, I happened to be in Venice the opening weekend off the show and got to see the mind-blowing exhibition first hand.  Special thanks to artist and curator Brad Thomas for letting me know about the opening date. See below for the show notes and more details about this imaginary treasure…