It's your last chance to catch Damien Hirst's show of pickled sharks and dead cows

Because it opened in between a million lockdowns, a massive Damien Hirst show managed to pass most people by. A whole exhibition of pickled dead animals and medicine cabinets and swirls and dots that just went totally under the radar. And now, there are only a few days left to catch it.

So consider this the art equivalent of last orders, a nudge to head to Newport Street Gallery while you still can and, like, order a pint for your eyes, or something. The space is Hirst’s private gallery, used for hosting works from his own collection, and has previously seen big shows by people like Jeff Koons and Rachel Howard. This is the first show of Damo's work though, and it’s got some big hits.

Alongside those dot and spin paintings, and various animals in formaldehyde, there’s also an installation of his 1990 work 'A Thousand Years'. The piece is a double vitrine: on one side, there's a fly hatching system, on the other is dead a cow’s head and a bug zapper. The flies are born, feast on the carcass, then zoom up to their inevitable deaths. It’s gruesome, simplistic, in-your-face, and it might be one of the most important works of art of the late twentieth century, if you ask me. It's Hirst at his absolute best, and is worth the trip down to Vauxhall and the price of admission alone. Oh, and the price of admission is zilch. It's free.