Three years ago, Hirst bought a vacation house on Mexico’s Pacific coast where he and his partner and three children could escape the dreary English winter for a few months out of the year. Not merely a tropical getaway, Hirst has said he is also drawn to the cultural and artis tic past of the nation, whose imagery tends towards the macabre and often celebrates death.

In the past, Hirst has been criticized for employing an army of as sistants to help him create pieces, which often has left the question of authorship up for debate. But Hilario Galguera, the gallery’s director, asserts, “He knows how to do everything. He can cast bronze, he can paint, he’s an ex cellent draughtsman. In fact, he can light a gallery.” Galguera said that Hirst was pre sent during the weeks before the opening, aiding the 20-some technicians who installed the show. Hirst also did several of the spin paintings on site, the walls and floor of one of the exhibition rooms also splattered with darkly-hued ma gentas and blacks.

This darkened room has the feel of a chapel or place of worship. The main light source shines from with in a formaldehyde-filled column with a bull’s heart pierced by razor blades and surgical needles. The piece is called “The Sacred Heart of Jesus” and uses religious imagery to be provocative and profane. Similarly, the works “Our Father Who Art in Heaven” and “Hail Mary Full of Grace” are at the same time darkly humorous, blasphemous and solemn. The pieces each fea ture a skinned lamb on its knees with a prayer book and rosary clasped between its forelegs.

The gallery that is currently showing Hirst’s work is the same space that housed the Latin American ACE gallery until 2001. Tucked away on a tree-lined street in the historical neighborhood of San Rafael, the gallery is just a few kilo meters from the city center. Galguera says that he met Hirst about a year ago, and they found so much common ground that the eventual idea of Hirst’s having his Mexican debut at the newly-opened gallery came naturally. Galguera said Hirst’s showing in Mexico is long overdue. “This is incredibly important for the art scene in Mexico.”