Minaret
Minaret
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
Etching, 2009
Signed Print Edition of 59
H 119cm x W 156cm
Critical Review
Minaret is a signed etching from Damien Hirst’s 2009 Sanctum series. The central focus of this print is Hirst’s famous butterfly motif, showing one in the middle of the composition and the intricate surrounding pattern made up of butterfly wings. Minaret is depicted in varying shades of blue and pink and is made up of concentric circles.
Some of Hirst’s most well-known paintings are the Kaleidoscope paintings from 2001 to the present, that play with the symbolic power of the butterfly and evoke a sense of spirituality. This series seems to play with both Christian iconography, like his works that are framed by pointed arches, as well as Eastern philosophical traditions, pre-empting his later Mandalasseries from 2019.
The use of the butterfly differs from earlier iterations of the motif in installations such as In and Out of Love from 1991. Using only the butterfly wings, Hirst removes the idealised image of the butterfly from the real insect, notably arranging the wings into an aesthetic composition.Across the series, the butterfly wing is rendered unrecognisable when viewed at a distance and as part of a larger intricate pattern.
