Damien Hirst — British Artist born on June 07, 1965,

Damien Steven Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur, and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists, who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly the United Kingdom's richest living artist, with his wealth valued at £215m in the 2010 Sunday Times Rich List. During the 1990s his career was closely linked with the collector Charles Saatchi, but increasing frictions came to a head in 2003 and the relationship ended... (wikipedia)

So smoking is the perfect way to commit suicide without actually dying. I smoke because it's bad, it's really simple.
In an artwork you're always looking for artistic decisions, so an ashtray is perfect. An ashtray has got life and death.
I realised that you couldn't use the tools of yesterday to communicate today's world. Basically, that was the big light that went on in my head.
It's amazing what you can do with an E in A-Level art, a twisted imagination and a chainsaw.
The difference between art about death and actual death is that one's a celebration and the other's a dull fact.