H6-5 Truth
H6-5 Truth
Signed Print
Damien Hirst
Giclée print, 2015
Signed Print Edition of 55
H 100cm x W 100cm
Critical Review
H6-5 Truth is a giclée print from Damien Hirst’s 2015 The Aspects series that shows an array of butterfly wings arranged in an intricate kaleidoscopic pattern. Depicted in varying shades of blue, this print is perfectly symmetrical and made up of concentric circles. The print exudes a kinetic energy that is exciting and mesmerising to look at.
The Aspects series is indicative of Hirst’s obsession with butterflies and every print uses hundreds of butterfly wings to form its beautiful pattern. For Hirst, the butterfly is a ‘universal trigger’ that many people share in finding attractive and joyous. Recalling someone once saying to him: “Butterflies are beautiful, but it’s a shame they have disgusting hairy bodies in the middle,” Hirst in works like this chose only to display the dazzling wings in H6-5 Truth.
Hirst’s prints in The Aspects series are reminiscent of stained glass windows in Gothic architecture and the circular patterns of mandalas. The motif of the butterfly has been used by the Greeks to depict Psyche, the soul, and in Christian imagery represents resurrection. Indeed, the titles of the prints in this series, such as H6-5 Truth, include common virtues found in a range of religions, reflecting Hirst’s fascination with spirituality and the human psyche.
