Controlled Substances
Controlled Substances
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
Screenprint, 2011
Signed Print Edition of 150
H 49cm x W 50cm
Critical Review
Controlled Substances is a screen print by Damien Hirst from 2011. This print is based on Hirst’s very famous Spots paintings and much like many of his prints and editions, shows a variation on this iconic set of works. Controlled Substances depicts six rows and six columns of brightly coloured spots against a white backdrop, with the space between each dot filled with a capital letter or number in bold, black font.
The series of Controlled Substances paintings refer specifically to dangerous drugs that cannot be legally accessed by non-medical professionals. Beginning in 1993, this series was based around works with titles like Opium, Morphine Sulfate and Inovacodeine. Controlled Substances is set apart from other Spots paintings by the inclusion of text alongside the coloured circles but is largely based on the same principles.
In order to choose the names for his Spots paintings, each named after pharmaceuticals, Hirst bought the Physicians’ Desk Reference. This is a compilation of information on prescription drugs used by manufacturers, that is published commercially and updated every year. Hirst commented that “it was just an afterthought to name them after drugs, based on this book, but I saw it and thought: I have just got to do all of them”.
