Circles In The Sand
Circles In The Sand
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
Etching, 2002
Signed Print Edition of 68
H 18cm x W 20cm
Critical Review
Circles In The Sand is one of 23 etchings that make up Damien Hirst’s first volume of the In A Spin, the Action Of The World On Things portfolio from 2002. The etching shows many coloured concentric circles that appear to have been scratched onto the print’s surface, with some less controlled wiry lines overlain on top.
Hirst created the images in this series by attaching copper plates to a spin machine in his studio, onto which he drew linear shapes with a range of sharp tools like needles and screwdrivers as the machine spun. Circles In The Sand is directly inspired from Hirst’s famous spin paintings that utilised the same spin machine, onto which a circular canvas was attached, and paint was thrown on.
Notable to this series of prints is that Hirst writes on the plates, inscribing them with titles, dates and his signature. The writing appears child-like and misshapen due to the fact that Hirst inscribed the letters onto the copperplate backwards, so that when printed they can be read from left to right. Many of the titles in the series, including Circles In The Sand, make reference to rotation or circular shapes in various forms.
