Joseph Beuys, Ohne Titel (Vitrine), Wood, glass, metal and fat,  2060 x 2200 x 500 mm

Beuys assembled this vitrine in 1983 to represent the principle themes of his life and work. He often used unusual materials for his sculptures, investing them with personal or spiritual significance. The objects in this case all include fat, a material that Beuys considered ‘very basic to life’. The ones on the left also use beeswax, which symbolised warmth for Beuys. In the middle is a sealed jar containing pork dripping, with a thermometer resting on it. On the right are Fat Corner, also made of pork dripping, and Depression, a zinc box filled with tallow from mutton.

Even after we stopped seeing each other, I thought of her with great fondness. Memories of her encouraged me, soothed me, as I passed through the confusion and pain of adolescence. For a long time, she held a special place in my heart. I kept this special place just for her, like a “Reserved” sign on a quiet corner table in a restaurant. Despite the fact that I was sure I’d never see her again.

Haruki Murakami, South of the Border, West of the Sun (via ar-rad)

Damien Hirst, Adam and Eve (Banished from the Garden, )19992210 x 4267 x 1219 mm | 87 x 168 x 48 in, Glass, painted steel, silicone rubber, autopsy tables, drainage buckets, mannequins, chicken skins, autopsy equipment, cotton sheets, surgical instruments, needle and thread, latex gloves and sandwich, Vitrines