The Diver

Location

Design District, London, SE10 0QE

View on Google Maps

By Damien Hirst

The Diver is a large-scale bronze sculpture by British artist Damien Hirst. The two female figures appear like characters from ancient mythology, yet are damaged and covered in corals, having been submerged in the sea for a long time. 

Poised on tiptoe, these double-sized bronze figures would have been displayed in a nymphaeum: a shrine built on the site of a natural grotto. Grottoes were extremely popular in Greece and Rome, and large-scale artificial versions were sculpted in replication of natural rock formations. 

These sculptures are part of Damien Hirst’s Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable series, first exhibited at the 2017 Venice Biennale and can be seen on either side of building A4 in Design District.