Skull vs. Calavera (Diamonds vs. Cucarachas)

Damien Hirst, For The Love of God, 2007, platinum skull encrusted
with 8,601 fine diamonds, actual human skull size.

British artist Damien Hirst's latest work of art has sold for $100 million to an unnamed investment group and Hirst will reportedly get paid in cash. "For the Love of God" is a life-size cast of a human skull in platinum and covered by 8,601 pave-set diamonds weighing 1,106.18 carats. The single large diamond in the middle of the forehead is reportedly worth $4.2 million alone. Hirst financed the project himself, and estimates it cost between 10 and 15 million.

Fabián Peña, The Impossibility of Storage for the Soul (detail), 2007, cockroach wings on translucent paper in light box, 12 in x 12 in x 6 in

The Impossibility of Storage for the Soul conveys the sense of stillness. A skull made of cockroach wings emerges from within a light box. What is the difference between cockroaches and human beings? One can not survive without the other. But, cockroaches are a hundred times stronger than people are. Cockroaches have even survived atomic bomb explosions. Not surprisingly, they are loyal neighbors of the dead. If cockroaches talked, they would tell us the story of the Earth and the apparition of mankind.

Dinorah Pérez Rementería