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Conception to birth sculptures unveiled in Qatar
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A new artwork is on show at a hospital in Qatar. The artist's work is called "The Miraculous Journey". It is 14 sculptures that show how life starts, from conception to birth. The first sculpture shows sperm entering an egg. Others show an embryo, a fetus in the womb and a newborn baby. The sculptures are up to 14 meters high.
Not everyone is happy with the sculptures. Not everyone will like or understand them. They will start a lot of discussion. They show the hospital's work of taking care of women and babies. The artist said: "The journey a baby goes through before birth is bigger than anything." He said his sculpture will amaze people.
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Sculptures - Level 1
A new artwork by the British artist Damien Hirst is on show in front of a hospital in Qatar. Hirst is famous for using dead sharks in his art. His new work is "The Miraculous Journey". It is 14 bronze sculptures that show the beginning of life from conception to birth. The first shows sperm entering an egg, then the egg producing an embryo, a fetus in a giant womb, and finally a newborn baby. They are between 5 and 14 meters high.
Not everyone is happy. The sculptures are very controversial. An art specialist said: "They are meant to create debates. We are not expecting everyone to like [or] understand them." She added: "They reflect the hospital's mission of taking care of...women and babies." Mr Hirst said: "The journey a baby goes through before birth is bigger than anything it will experience in its human life....The sculpture will [create]...a sense of...wonder at this."
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Sculptures - Level 2
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A new artwork by the British artist Damien Hirst is on show in Doha, Qatar. Hirst is famous for using dead sharks and cows in his art. His new modern-art work is called The Miraculous Journey. It is 14 giant bronze sculptures that show the beginning of life from conception to birth. The first exhibit shows sperm entering an egg. The sculptures move from the egg producing an embryo, a fetus in a giant womb, and finally a newborn baby. The very detailed sculptures are between 5 and 14 meters high. They have been put in front of a women's hospital.
Not everyone is happy with the sculptures. They are very controversial. A Qatari art specialist said: "They are meant to create debates. We are not expecting everyone to like them [or] understand them." She added: "They reflect the hospital's mission of taking care of the healthcare of women and babies." Mr Hirst said: "Culturally, it's the first naked sculpture in the Middle East." He added: "The journey a baby goes through before birth is bigger than anything it will experience in its human life....The sculpture will instill...a sense of...wonder at this extraordinary human process."
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Sculptures - Level 3
A new artwork has been unveiled in Doha, Qatar. The new artwork was created by the British artist Damien Hirst. He is famous for his art installations that include dead sharks and cows in clear plastic boxes. His new modern-art work is called The Miraculous Journey. It consists of 14 giant bronze sculptures that show the beginning of human life from conception to birth. The first exhibit shows a human sperm entering an egg. The sculptures progress from the egg producing an embryo, which then turns into a fetus in a giant womb. The final sculpture is of a newborn baby. The very detailed exhibits are between 5 and 14 meters high. They have been installed in front of a women's healthcare center in Qatar.
Not everyone is happy with the sculptures. They are very controversial in Qatar. Layla Ibrahim, a Qatari art specialist, said: "They are not meant to be decorative, they are meant to create debates. We are not expecting everyone to like them [or] understand them." She added: "We believe it reflects the hospital's mission of taking care of the healthcare of women and babies." Mr Hirst said: "Culturally, it's the first naked sculpture in the Middle East. It's very brave." He added: "The journey a baby goes through before birth is bigger than anything it will experience in its human life. I hope the sculpture will instill in the viewer a sense of awe and wonder at this extraordinary human process."
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