Damien Hirst takes studio break to unleash dad-dancing in new video

British artist Damien Hirst has unveiled his dad-dancing in a new video on his social media.

Pausing his painting in a clip posted to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday (1 February), Hirst, 57, danced to the 2021 Justin Wellington version of the famous Mardi Gras song, “Iko Iko”.

His moves included shaking his head, wobbling his legs, and making swimming motions with his arms.

Hirst was wearing a white t-shirt emblazoned with the words “The Dancing Kid”, paired with paint-splattered trousers.

He made headlines last October after burning thousands of his paintings as part of his NFT project, The Currency.

Hirst, who was born in Bristol and raised in Leeds, emerged onto the art scene in the late Eighties while he was a student at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is known for his eclectic works, which are often focused on the subject of death.

He was one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) – along with Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk and Sam Taylor-Johnson (formerly Sam Taylor-Wood) – who dominated the UK art world in the Nineties.

Among his most famous pieces are his eye-catching formaldehyde sculptures, including a 14-foot tiger shark preserved in a tank, titled The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. The work was commissioned by Iraqi-British businessman Charles Saatchi and created in 1991.

Hirst is believed to be the UK’s richest living artist, with an estimated wealth of $384m (£311m) according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2020.