
London is positively heaving with public art, from impressive street art to world-class sculptures just plonked into the middle of the pavement. There’s so much public art, in fact, that there are even public art trails that wind their way around the city. They’re perfect for a lovely stroll around the city, taking in art with some fresh air. One hugely impressive example: Greenwich Peninsula’s The Tide – “London’s first-ever elevated riverside linear park”. And things just got much more impressive with the installation of a monumental new sculpture from Damien Hirst, ‘Demon With Bowl’.
‘Demon With Bowl’ joins five other Hirst sculptures on the trail, making The Tide officially “home to the largest free and publicly accessible collection of Damien Hirst’s works in the world.” So, if you’re a Hirst fan, you’ll definitely want to run down and check it out.

Said Damien Hirst:
“It’s uplifting to see this work come home to the UK where it was made, to Greenwich Peninsula. It’s a place that has strong resonance for me: I lived here in the late 80s when it was a wasteland. I’d collect things that were washed up on the Thames riverbank: old bottles and bits of plastic, which I’d make into collages. That process later led to my series, Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, which is where Demon with Bowl, and my other Peninsula artworks come from.”
The ‘Demon With Bowl’ Sculpture
Hirst’s new ‘Demon With Bowl’ is truly enormous, standing 60 foot tall amidst the rest of the area. It’s clearly visible from the cable cars visitors can use to access the Greenwich Peninsula, and visitors can also get up close to the haunting work.
Visitors to The Tide art trail will also get to check out other works from Damien Hirst, such as ‘The Mermaid’, ‘The Diver’, and ‘Hydra and Kali’. The collection of artwork on display along the trail includes both permanent and temporary pieces. The artists featured include the likes of internationally renowned artists like Richard Wilson, Morag Myerscough, Alex Chinneck, and Allen Jones.

The unveiling of the sculpture joins the area’s hefty spring and summer programme of art and cultural events. Things will kick off with their Urban Village Fete on May 14, and events will run the gamut from talks to workshops, and more. See the full list of events and activities here.
Over the next months and years, a total of 8 of Damien Hirst’s works will installed along the art trail. All of the works can trace their origins back to the Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable exhibition, which was staged in Venice in 2017. Be sure to make plenty of return trips to catch all the pieces.
To visit The Tide, the nearest station is North Greenwich tube station. From there head to Peninsula Square, where you’ll find the start of The Tide’s path adjacent to ‘The Spire’.