BRITART BAD BOY DONATES WORK FOR TSUNAMI SURF RELIEF DAY

Controversial artist Damien Hirst has donated an original work to be auctioned by surfing fundraisers Tsunami Surf Relief UK (TSRUK) on April 9 th 2005.

Hirst, best known for his pickled sheep and sharks, has donated a stunning circular print featuring an explosion of colour from his “spin painting” series. The series also produced two surf board designs which raised almost £60,000 at auction in 2003 for marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage.

The tsunami relief auction will take place in the UK’s surfing mecca, Newquay, following a national day of coordinated surfing and fundraising events. The climax of Surf Relief Day , it is the brainchild of Chris Power, editor of popular surf magazine Carve , who has gathered a valuable collection of surf art and memorabilia including the Hirst contribution, arranged by the artist’s surfer girlfriend Maia Norman.

Damien Hirst has been shocking audiences since 1995 when his sheep pickled in formaldehyde won the controversial Turner Prize and as Claire Saban of TSRUK explains: “We are stunned and delighted at Damien Hirst’s generosity – it provides a significant boost to our fundraising ability and our profile. The collector who successfully bids for this piece on April 9 th will also be contributing to safe, sustainable new housing for scores of families still homeless following the Asian tsunami disaster over three months ago.”