For the Love of Good: Resurrecting the Lost Face Behind Damien Hirst’s “For the Love of God” Diamond-Encrusted Human Skull

Almost twenty years ago, Turner Prize-winning artist Damien Hirst created ‘For the Love of God’: a platinum-cast human skull set with more than 8,000 diamonds. To this day, the skull is widely considered one of the most expensive pieces of contemporary art ever produced by a living artist, and is the largest diamond commission since the British Royal Family Crown Jewels.

Through the lens of 2D craniofacial approximation, ‘For the Love of Good’ seeks to stand in deliberate contrast with these themes; whereby (forensic, not-for-profit, humanitarian) art is instead utilized to conceptually explore and directly confront the increasing commodification and mistreatment of human remains in the production of (high-profile, costly, indulgent) art-for-profit.

In reconstructing the long-lost face behind the skull; the project seeks to raise awareness and encourage dialogue amongst both scientific and artistic communities surrounding the contemporary bone and blood diamond trade(s), whereby the legal acquisition and true provenance of material culture, diamonds, and human remains often goes unquestioned or undetected; where humanity and morality are often compromised in favour of power, money, fame, or status; and where plagiarism, exploitation, and colonialism erase consent, culture, and identity.