New Paintings by Damien Hirst on show for the first time at Phillips London.
Damien Hirst’s latest series, The Civilisation Paintings, is on show for the first time at Phillips this summer. The exhibition, curated by Connor Hirst, is presented by HENI from 5 August to 2 September 2024.
The Civilisation Paintings is a series of 32 paintings which explore the necessity of hope despite the complexities and challenges of contemporary civilisation, something that Hirst achieves in part through his use of vibrant, optimistic colour. In each work, the artist depicts memories or feelings of cities: evoking the exuberant series The Secret Gardens Paintings – metropolitan areas are set amongst thriving vegetation, forming bright, imagined landscapes.
Realistic elements are contrasted with other elements such as Pointillist techniques and thrown paint. Evoking the themes of chaos and hope at the heart of the series, the artist favours the latter practice for its lack of control, embodying his maxim ‘You just have to believe’. Hirst also overlays the compositions with coloured spots arranged in grids, made using the tops of his paint tubes. These formations, immediately recalling his spot paintings, are implemented to evoke the sense of the ordered and engineered elements of cities, which randomly decay and are replaced.
In addition to The Civilisation Paintings, a selection of works from the series The Robot Paintings is on show. The Robot Paintings are created using machines which have been programmed to paint, a process that Hirst has been exploring in recent years. Some of the series depict prominent figures in history, similar in style to Hirst’s Fact Paintings. A catalogue of the complete series is available.
The exhibition is being presented with the support of the artist’s galleries, Gagosian and White Cube.
Exhibition dates: Monday 5 August – Monday 2 September 2024
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm & Sunday 12 – 6pm
Location: Phillips, 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX
Further Information: The Civilisation Paintings by Damien Hirst (heni.com)