DAMIEN HIRST, DIACETOXYSCIRPENOL, SPOT SERIES, SIGNED ETCHING, EDITION OF 115, 2005
Diacetoxyscirpenol is an etching by Damien Hirst from 2004 that shows a composition that is a variation on his famous Spot paintings. The print is oriented horizontally and shows several rows of grey, blue and cream spots, each a perfect circle and equally spaced apart from one another.
Stretching as far back as 1986, the Spot paintings were first displayed at the landmark group show Freeze in London’s Docklands and recur throughout Hirst’s career in a number of artistic mediums. Unlike many of the Spot paintings, this print has a limited monochrome colour palette as opposed to depicting various bright colours. More subdued, Diacetoxyscirpenol is therefore an exploration in abstraction and pattern rather than in colour.
The title of this print, along with many of the other spot paintings and prints, are based on names of chemical compounds, and indicate Hirst’s interest in investigating boundaries between science, aesthetics, medicine and art. The colourful spots are set in equal distance from one another in a formulaic composition. The white clinical backdrop of the print recalls a laboratory and its kit, alluding to the crispness of coats, benches and hospital walls. Moreover, in its depiction of many spots, this print appears like a packet of medical pills.
Read more about Spot by Damien Hirst.
ABOUT DAMIEN HIRST
Arguably one the most successful and well-known artists in the world to date, Damien Hirst is a creative visionary, his brand as prolific as his artwork. Exhibited internationally, he works across sculpture, painting, drawing or installation to create artworks that are characterised by their intensity and tension. Taking inspiration from a range of sources, including Abstract Expressionists John Hoyland and Willem de Kooning, he has cultivated a style recognisable for its brash monumentalism and unapologetic gall. Learn more about Damien Hirst.
