When thinking about contemporary British art, the name Damien Hirst is bound to be one of the first on many people’s lips. You might have even checked out his sculptures around the city on the wonderful free art trial in Greenwich Peninsula.
Come this month, you’ll be able to view a different form of his art: paintings. A set splashed in colour, full of life, and titled The Civilisation Paintings has arrived at Phillips London, and they’re on display up until September 2.
The Civilisation Paintings
Damien Hirst’s latest works are are set of 32 paintings that delve into the importance of finding hope among the complexity of the modern world. In the exhibit, you’ll notice cities featuring as a backdrop before a swathe of beautiful plants, flowers, and wildlife to create a landscape that both contests and weaves within one another. Chaos is introduced into the painting through the method of thrown paint, which Hirst believes is a great practice to convey a lack of control.
Speaking on the exhibition, Damien Hirst said: “I’m very excited to present my new Civilisation Paintings at Phillips in London’s Berkeley Square in association with HENI. These paintings are about our civilisations today.
“I wanted them to feel fantastical and chaotic and on the edge of destruction. It’s often hard to have hope or romanticise about our current landscape or our civilisations but we must have hope, no matter how dark the world gets. But to distract from the nihilism and the hate, I tried to paint them optimistically, like ice cream.”
Find ‘The Civilisation Paintings’ on display at Phillips London, 30 Berkeley Square, W1J 6EX (nearest station is Bond Street) until September 2, 2024. Find out more information here.
