How do you feel when you’re described as the “most famous living British artist after David Hockney”?
And after one called [British television entertainer] Rolf Harris, as well! He’s Australian, but I think he’s considered British now. If you ask people on the street in England who is a famous artist, I think they’d say: Rolf Harris, Prince Charles, David Hockney and Damien Hirst, in that order. One British artist you clearly admire is Francis Bacon. What do you think about the links made between your work and his? I don’t know. I think we’re very different. I probably notice the differences more than anything else. I mean, I’m a sculptor and he was a painter. I’d be flattered if somebody did say that, but I think a lot of the things that I do are a lot more decorative. But you’ve done more than just make artwork. You’ve been a curator, made pop records, you even have a publishing company. Yes, I love doing all that. They’re mostly art related, and then I keep getting asked to do things that aren’t art related, like pop videos, and occasionally I do those. I think that if you’re an art
