Burger King is making an unexpected step to attract consumers these Olympics weeks, aiming to battle with its major rival, McDonald’s, the official sponsor of the London 2012 Games. The chain’s ‘Flameship’ venue in Leicester Square has been turned into a gallery of one masterpiece as the company’s is displaying ‘Flame Grilled’ work by big-name artist Damien Hirst at least until the end of the year, but not for ever, according to Marketing.

Photo: Damien Hirst’s ‘Flame Grilled’ artwork, www.scoutlondon.com

The piece of art, which full name is ‘Beautiful Psychedelic Gherkin Exploding Tomato Sauce All Over Your Face, Flame Grilled Painting 2003,’ syncs with the cooking art of the chain, and the two words in the end of the name celebrate the fast food brand’s flame-grilling cooking method, which also requires some creativity and artistic approach in some way. To create the 2-m in diameter abstract artwork, Hirst used his well-known spin painting technique—it’s hard to say what was the source of inspiration, but it definitely could be the flame-grilling method itself, which often gets highlighted in BK advertising.

BK redesigned the 200-seat restaurant before installing the piece—the artwork in a reinforced glass case is showcased in the upstairs dining area. The blue, yellow and black ‘Flame Grilled’ piece will infuse the space of the fast-food chain with a pinch of creativity, inviting people to dive into the atmosphere of art this summer and beyond.

“Our new Flameship restaurant marks a period of continued growth and innovation for the Burger King brand. All of our new-look restaurants will provide a more modern experience to enjoy the great taste of our flame-grilled burgers,” shared Jo Blundell, Burger King UK marketing director for UK and Ireland.