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Damien Hirst, H5-7 Cafe Royal, 2018
$7,750.00
Diasec-mounted Giclée print on aluminum panel
35.5 x 35.5 in | 90 x 90 cm
Ed of 100
Damien Hirst’s ‘Cafe Royal’ sets a prismatic palette of spots against a black background to create a deeply intricate composition. Named for the five-star hotel in London, this facsimile print from ‘Colour Space’ (H5, 2018) is derived from Hirst’s eponymous painting series from 2016. Breaking down the logic of his ‘Spot Paintings’ (begun in 1986), these works champion imperfection and chance by randomly arranging the spots and conferring them with spontaneous choices of colour.
‘Cafe Royal’ captivates through its seemingly infinite number of tiny spots which cover the near entirety of the visual field and appear to extend beyond its limits. Unlike the construction of his ‘Spot Paintings’, the present work allows the spots to touch and even overlap, informing a sense of movement and life. The small size of these spots and the distinct number of them recall atomic particles which similarly reverberate with life and energy.
This sense of life is emphasised by the established contrasts, the black background enhancing the vibrancy of colour. Unintentional swirling and circular patterns emerge like a mosaic, the spots appearing like intricate tesserae which make up this positively enveloping composition.