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Damien Hirst
or applicable right holders.
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Damien Hirst’s Raffles (H5-5) is a Diasec-mounted giclée print on aluminum panel produced in 2018. It belongs to his Colour Space series, which serves as a deliberate return to the organic roots of his earliest practice. While his famous Pharmaceutical spot paintings of the 1990s were governed by strict mechanical regularity, grid-like precision, and an aestheticized view of medicine, his very first spot experiments in 1986 were loose, hand-painted, and unstructured. Named after the historic luxury hotel in Singapore, this work revisits that original lack of containment, breaking down his established clinical logic in favor of intuitive aesthetic judgment and deliberate imperfection.
Visually, the composition abandons the rigid mathematical framework of his mid-career pieces, allowing the brightly colored circles to float freely without a grid. The introduction of subtle variations in paint thickness, along with occasional splatters, imparts a sense of spontaneity and movement that contrasts sharply with the sterile detachment he became known for. Translated into a high-fidelity giclée print, the work captures the tactile variations of the original 2016 painting. The Diasec mounting process, sealing the print beneath optical-grade acrylic using silicone adhesive, amplifies the color saturation and depth, preserving the chaotic energy of the arrangement under a slick, industrial surface.
The significance of this specific edition lies in its subversion of his most commercially recognized visual vocabulary. By championing chance and organic movement over mechanical perfection, Hirst re-examines the very forms that secured his legacy, closing the loop back to his 1986 origins. The printed format makes this complex conceptual territory accessible while maintaining the rigorous production standards of his studio, offering a sophisticated reflection on how his practice has cycled back from cold scientific detachment toward a more vibrant, uncontained expression of color.
Damien Hirst’s Raffles (H5-5) is a Diasec-mounted giclée print on aluminum panel produced in 2018. It belongs to his Colour Space series, which serves as a deliberate return to the organic roots of his earliest practice. While his famous Pharmaceutical spot paintings of the 1990s were governed by strict mechanical regularity, grid-like precision, and an aestheticized view of medicine, his very first spot experiments in 1986 were loose, hand-painted, and unstructured. Named after the historic luxury hotel in Singapore, this work revisits that original lack of containment, breaking down his established clinical logic in favor of intuitive aesthetic judgment and deliberate imperfection.
Visually, the composition abandons the rigid mathematical framework of his mid-career pieces, allowing the brightly colored circles to float freely without a grid. The introduction of subtle variations in paint thickness, along with occasional splatters, imparts a sense of spontaneity and movement that contrasts sharply with the sterile detachment he became known for. Translated into a high-fidelity giclée print, the work captures the tactile variations of the original 2016 painting. The Diasec mounting process, sealing the print beneath optical-grade acrylic using silicone adhesive, amplifies the color saturation and depth, preserving the chaotic energy of the arrangement under a slick, industrial surface.
The significance of this specific edition lies in its subversion of his most commercially recognized visual vocabulary. By championing chance and organic movement over mechanical perfection, Hirst re-examines the very forms that secured his legacy, closing the loop back to his 1986 origins. The printed format makes this complex conceptual territory accessible while maintaining the rigorous production standards of his studio, offering a sophisticated reflection on how his practice has cycled back from cold scientific detachment toward a more vibrant, uncontained expression of color.
