Damien Hirst: Personal Exhibition

Among his most iconic series, The Rose Window, Durham Cathedral (2008) exemplifies Hirst’s monumental Butterfly Paintings. Thousands of iridescent tropical butterfly wings are meticulously arranged with metallic paint on canvas, forming a luminous mandala that echoes the medieval stained glass rose window of Durham Cathedral. The result is a dazzlingly symmetrical and kaleidoscopic surface that blurs the line between reverence and spectacle.

Throughout art history, butterflies have symbolized the soul and the fleeting beauty of life. In Hirst’s hands, this symbolism takes on new urgency. By embedding these delicate forms in luxurious materials—often alongside diamonds or precious stones—he collapses natural fragility into the aesthetics of wealth and display. These compositions invite viewers to meditate on mortality and transience, even as they seduce with dazzling surface beauty.

Hirst’s Spot Paintings, begun in the mid-1980s, have been among his most debated series. Tetrachloroauric acid (2008) consists of carefully measured, uniformly spaced dots in vivid hues on a shimmering gold background. While the grid suggests order and rationality, the absence of repeating colors subtly destabilizes the composition. The result is a paradoxical experience—what appears harmonious from a distance reveals a quiet discord on closer inspection.

This calculated dissonance undermines our expectation of chromatic harmony. In traditional painting, repeated tones create visual "chords" that help organize and give coherence to a work. Hirst removes that comfort, producing a subliminal tension. Still, the exuberant palette suggests a superficial joy that may momentarily eclipse the discomfort—making the work at once seductive and disquieting.