Damien Hirst (1965 - )

Damien Hirst,  A Thousand Years, 1990

Glass, steel, rubber, MDF, Insect-O-Cutor, cow’s head, blood, flies, maggots

Damien Hirst, A Thousand Years, 1990 (detail)

Damien Hirst, A Thousand Years, 1990 (detail)

A Thousand Years was first shown in 'Gambler', a group show in 'Building One', a disused biscuit factory in Bermondsey, London, in July 1990; the exhibition was organised by Billee Sellman and Carl Freedman who had collaborated with Hirst to curate an earlier exhibition 'Modern Medicine' in the same location in March 1990.
The cataglogue for 'Gambler' includes the following text:

What's in the boxes?
Maggots.
So you're going to put maggots in the white boxes,  and then they hatch out and then they fly around...
Yes. And then they get killed by the fly killer, and maybe lay eggs in the cow's head.
It's a bit disgusting.
A bit. I don't think it is. I like it.
Do you think anyone will buy it?
I hope so.
What do I do with it if I buy it? Does it become a self contained eco system?
No the boxes get incinerated, and the heads. And you get new ones.
Would you expect anyone to use it?
I hope so.

A Thousand Years was bought by Charles Saatchi.