Damien Hirst

Prada Mode Moscow by Damien Hirst. Photo: Courtesy of Prada
Traveling social club Prada Mode is bringing its eighth edition to Dubai soon, with an immersive installation by famed artist and friend of the Italian fashion house, Damien Hirst. Taking place at ICD Brookfield Place, DIFC from November 9-10, the installation will follow the artist’s work with Prada Mode Moscow in 2021 to present a new rendition of ‘Pharmacy by Damien Hirst’.
Prada Mode Moscow by Damien Hirst. Photo: Courtesy of Prada
The project will see ICD Brookfield Place, which is DIFC’s epicenter of culture, lifestyle, and business, transformed by some of Hirst’s signature works into a dedicated space filled with art, music, and conversations over food. Members can expect floor-to-ceiling medicine cabinets, life-size molecule models, wallpaper inspired by catalogs of prescription medicine, and much more. “I’m thrilled and honored to be invited by Miuccia Prada to recreate Pharmacy for Prada Mode in Dubai after our successful collaboration in Moscow,” says the artist. “I’m working really hard with a complicated but beautiful space, ICD Brookfield Place, to create harmony between the inside and outside of the new building. Once again, Prada have found a space that will provide the perfect place for it. I’m so excited to be doing this!”
Pharmacy by Damien Hirst dates back to 1992, when the artist first showcased his work at the Cohen Gallery in New York, followed by a fully functioning restaurant version in Notting Hill, London in 1998, for which Miuccia Prada designed staff uniforms. Speaking of the concept, Hirst says, “I’ve always thought great restaurants can be seen as art, and art without the evidence as we always remember great meals on great evenings with great people in great places and in this way Pharmacy is definitely a kinetic artwork, that works best filled with people and art existing and living and breathing and eating and drinking and enjoying themselves as one.”
Prada Mode Moscow by Damien Hirst. Photo: Courtesy of Prada
Known to offer guests exclusive access to talks, programs, and content on cultural engagement, Prada Mode was launched as a “natural evolution” of the Prada Double Club by artist Carsten Höller, with the inaugural edition taking place in Miami in 2018. Since then, the private club has traveled to Hong Kong (2019), London (2019), Paris (2020), Shanghai (2020), Moscow (2021), and Los Angeles (2022)
Early access to Prada Mode Dubai will be made available for members to join panels in the morning and afternoon, followed by nightly events marked by beverage sampling and dinner.
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The custom-made Elie Saab dress, worn by actor Emma Stone to the 2015 Oscars, is available at Sotheby’s To Beirut with Love auction. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s has announced its plans for a charitable auction in order to raise funds for Beirut. The auction, titled To Beirut with Love will feature a handful of extraordinary items, including a custom Elie Saab dress, worn by award-winning actor Emma Stone to the 2015 Oscars.
The British-founded auction house has partnered with two nonprofit organizations, Creatives for Lebanon and Art for Beirut to develop the To Beirut with Love initiative, in order to support those affected by the Beirut explosion. The sale will be open for bidding from December 7 to December 15, where a number of handpicked donations from iconic artists, celebrities, and fashion and jewelry designers will be on offer.
The star of the auction is noted to be a breathtaking gown by Lebanese couturier, Elie Saab. The pale-green sequined dress features an open back and a thigh-high slit and was worn by Stone, at the Oscars ceremony in 2015 where she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Birdman. The stunning gown is estimated to sell for between £20,000 to £30,000 ($26,700 to $40,025).
A silk haute couture gown designed by Egyptian actor Sherihan, worn in her Thousand and One Nights Fawazeer show in 1987, is available in the To Beirut with Love auction. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby’s

Other remarkable fashion items include singer Madonna‘s matador-inspired outfit created by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran; and Geri Halliwell’s sequinned number worn in the music video for the Spice Girl‘s debut single Wannabe. Additionally, a silk haute couture gown designed by Egyptian icon Sherihan, for her Thousand and One Nights Fawazeer show in 1987, has been donated alongside Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi‘s unique sky-blue embellished dress from her wardrobe collection.
Woven yellow gold My Dior cuff, designed by Victoire de Castellane. Photo: Courtesy of Sotherby’s

Leading the jewelry line-up is the unmissable My Dior cuff and British-artist Damien Hirst‘s gold pill bracelet with diamond skull. The eye-catching gold My Dior bracelet, designed by artistic director of Dior Joaillerie, Victoire de Castellane, features a dazzling array of diamonds and colored gemstones and is expected to generate at least £30,000 to £50,000 ($40,025 to $66,700). Elsewhere Hirst’s playful bracelet, created in 2015, reflects the theme of pharmaceuticals, which is often present in contemporary artist’s work.
Among many of the captivating artworks is a photograph taken from the Suit Egyptienne series by leading Lebanese photographer Fouad Elkoury. British supermodel Naomi Campbell has also donated one of her favorite portraits, an image of herself shot by photographers Rocco Lapasta and Charles DeCaro, that is estimated to sell for £3,000 to £5,000 ($4,000 to $6,671).
Portrait of model Naomi Campbell, photographed by Rocco Lapasta and Charles DeCaro. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s has confirmed that all the proceeds from the auction will be shared among five charities that are providing relief to Beirut following the tragic port explosion in August. The five charities chosen by the initiative are Nusaned, Beit El Baraka, Baytna Baytak, Al Fanar, and House of Christmas.
“Lebanon is home to an artistic community whose contributions to the cultural landscape cannot be overstated,” says Sotheby’s chairman for the Middle East, Edward Gibbs. “The explosion in the port of Beirut this summer sent shockwaves through the city and the world, impacting every sector of society in Lebanon with countless tales of loss, damage, and displacement. Sotheby’s has come together with our partners to host the auction, To Beirut with Love, to provide much-needed relief and funds to aid the healing process.”
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