Praise Be—Damien Hirst is building a chapel in France

Damien Hirst is having (another) moment, launching a show of works at Château La Coste, the 500-acre estate and vineyard located between the historic city of Aix-En Provence and the Luberon National Park (The Light That Shine, until 23 June). The former YBA has the honour of being the first artist to take over the entire estate, filling the grounds and five exhibition pavilions with headline-hitting pieces such as sculptures and lightboxes from Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, a series of works first shown in 2017 across Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi in Venice. Hirst and Paddy McKillen, the founder of Château La Coste, have meanwhile dreamed up another ambitious initiative—an on-site chapel. According to the Financial Times, the holy installation will take the form of a 100-foot high bronze hand pointing skywards. Hirst says: “I designed this arm as a sculpture. It was based on a hand holding a mobile phone. But it was a bit like Christ’s fingers. And then I thought, it’s like a spire. It was Paddy’s idea to put steps inside it so you could go up it.” Hirst’s chapel is scheduled to open late 2025 (perhaps the art world can confess its sins there).