Damien Hirst (b. 1965) rose to fame in the late 1980s as a leading member of the group that became known as the Young British Artists (YBAs). He is now internationally recognised to be one of the most important living artists. Through a varied practice of installation, sculpture, painting and drawing Hirst explores the complex relationships between art, beauty, religion, science, life and death. He lives and works in London, Gloucestershire and Devon. 

Jonathan Griffin is a freelance writer and art critic. He is a contributing editor for Frieze magazine, and has written for publications including The Financial Times, The New York Times, Art Review, Art Agenda, CARLA, Apollo, The Art Newspaper, Flash Art, Aperture, Art in America, Domus, Mousse, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Cultured, LALA, Modern Painters, The Brooklyn Rail, Tate Etc., Royal Academy Magazine, Wallpaper, Kaleidoscope, Texte Zur Kunst, Los Angeles Review of Books, Paper Monument, East of Borneo, Sotheby's Magazine, Tank, MANIFESTA Journal and The World of Interiors.