Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable

Sam Hobkinson's documentary centers on Damien Hirst's most expansive project, built around a fictitious sunken fleet and the myth of underwater treasure. The film follows the elaborate process of turning that invented wreck into a museum worthy spectacle, with Hirst and a team of sculptors crafting life size marine creatures and chimeric artifacts that glitter with imagined history. Rather than a straightforward art history piece, it probes how a fictional discovery can capture the public imagination and drive curatorial choices, marketing strategy, and audience hype. The result is a behind the scenes look at ambition, prestige and the blurred line between truth and fabrication in contemporary art. It also examines the way such a show shifts attention from the objects themselves to the story surrounding them.

Directed by Sam Hobkinson, this 2017 documentary accompanies Hirst's Venice show and the ambitions behind it. It features Damien Hirst as himself and follows the studio team who built the works, spotlighting the scale, logistics, and high wire tension of mounting the project.

The film had a limited release and no widely reported box office tally, a common fate for art house documentaries tied to a major gallery show. Revenue figures were not part of its public profile, and it primarily circulated through festivals and specialty screenings.

Critics described the film as visually striking and brisk, highlighting the tension between fantasy and fact in the art world. It asks who decides value and provenance when a show leans on a grand narrative and spectacular form. The commentary often situates the project within debates about spectacle versus substance and the commercialization of genius.

The documentary also matters for its portrait of Hirst as a provocateur who treats fiction as a tool for making audiences confront the economics of art. By exposing the scaffolding behind the wrecks and the fashioning of an art world's legend, it prompts conversations about authorship, originality, and how museums curate myths to drive engagement and sales.