I seem to be having my own mini artsfest this week – yesterday I was at the Ikon Gallery, and today was my first visit to the New Art Gallery in Walsall, where there is an exhibition of Damien Hirst’s art.

I’ve never seen any of Damien Hirst‘s installations, so I was looking forward to finding out how I would react to works by one of the world’s most controversial artists.

One of the most famous works is ‘Away from the Flock‘ (1994), which is a lamb in formaldehyde. My reaction was basically ‘it’s a lamb in formaldehyde’. There was no real emotional reaction to it as a dead animal – my fascination was more about the process of preservation, and the flawless nature of the formaldehyde. It definitely IS art, because it’s the unique creation of the artist. And it generates debate. But I have to say that as a statement, it seems rather weak.

My strongest reaction was to the photograph ‘With Dead Head‘ (1991), which is shocking and disturbing, and deals with reactions to death much better than the lamb. The fact that the artist is smiling and seemingly dismissive of the head along side him makes it a much more powerful image. I felt torn between emotions for the dead man, and the realisation that there was no man there: just a lifeless head of someone who had long since departed.

Overall, I’d have to say I’m not really a fan of Damien Hirst. I do like to be challenged by art, and I do appreciate that his creations require considerable talent to produce, but his work doesn’t really say a lot to me.

There is plenty more to see at Walsall, however.

The exhibition of works by Jacob Epstein is magnificent – in fact, I spent a lot of time viewing the whole Garman Ryan collection, which is presented in themed rooms – and works rather well. The works by Theodore Garman – of which there are several – are particularly special.

Up on the third floor, you’ll find ‘The Nature of the Beast’ and ‘Our Creatures‘ until the end of June 2013 – featuring both real and imaginary creatures. Patricia Piccinini’s ‘Sphinx‘ (2012) is a rather unsettling example of the latter,  and is such a visually powerful image that you wonder why there is no associated smell emanating from it. It really is quite repulsive.

The gallery itself is magnificent – although with one reservation. It follows the trend of so many museums and galleries that are desperate to position themselves as ‘accessible to families’. What this really means is that they believe that families won’t bring their children with them unless there are options for play scattered throughout the gallery. I think such an approach is unnecessary and patronising, and distracts from the purpose of the galleries, which is to showcase art.

Sounds harsh? I have nothing against creating family-friendly spaces within the building, to encourage parents and children to explore art together. That general strategy should be applauded. But when a child is brought into one of the galleries and runs straight for the jigsaw or wooden blocks in the corner – then rather than introducing a child to art, I believe we are providing them with the opportunity to ignore it. If a child is brought to an art gallery by a parent, then that parent should take the responsibility to introduce the art to the child at a level that’s appropriate. Whether that’s saying ‘look at that funny creature’ – as one parent was doing today – or asking engaging questions, such as ‘how long do you think it took to paint that?’ – it’s the parent’s role to engage the child. If the child gets bored – as they inevitably will – then it’s time to go off and find the glues and paints.

The New Art Gallery, Walsall, has free admission and wifi, a Costa coffee shop and a small art bookshop. You can visit their website here.