Damien Hirst: Mental Escapology

Key Hirst works situated in the exquisite landscape and architecture of St Moritz

Held in 2021 in St Moritz, Mental Escapology was Damien Hirst’s (born 1965) first major exhibition in Switzerland. It featured over 40 works from some of his best-known series—including the Spot Paintings, Natural History and Mental Escapology—presented across multiple outdoor and indoor sites. Highlights included the 12-foot bronze sculpture The Monk (2014) positioned in the center of the frozen Lake St Moritz. Elsewhere, another piece from Hirst’s Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable series, Two Figures with a Drum (2013), was installed on the southwestern edge of the lake, while his 21-foot sculpture Temple (2008) towered over the lake’s north bank. Some of Hirst’s most recognizable works were displayed in an 18th-century building and in the Protestant church in the town’s center. Designed by the exhibition’s curator, Jason Beard, this publication provides an overview of the show, presenting the works alongside a selection of quotes by Hirst.