DAMIEN HIRST "RING-A-RING OF ROSES" ETCHING, 2002

Damien Hirst (b. 1965) is one of the most divisive, high-profile, and arguably misunderstood artists of the contemporary era.

(In)famous internationally for encapsulating a tiger shark in a tank of formaldehyde, Hirst is the most successful and prolific artist from the group known as the Young British Artists (YBAs). Themes of mortality and decay continue to pervade his practice, evident in installations resembling mirrored pharmacy cabinets and molecular examination of narcotics.

Since the mid-1990s, Hirst has worked in an abstract mode, pouring paint onto rotating canvases mounted on a spin machine installed in his studio. For this series of etchings (In a Spin, the Action of the World on Things), he attached copperplates to the machine and inscribed them as they spun. He used needles, screwdrivers, and other sharp tools in a performance-like ritual that extended over several days.

The concentric-circle format of the prints, as well as the portfolio’s title, was inspired by a long-exposure photograph Hirst took of the night sky, capturing the stars in an abstract pattern. His deep engagement with contemporary music also informs the series—from the images’ echoes of grooved vinyl LPs to the Pop-song lyrics appearing on many of the sheets.

This etching is layered with concentric rings at its centre. The rings wobble slightly, evoking the feeling of dizziness that comes with spinning around in circles. Around the round cluster of lines, dashes, and marks lies an expanse of blank page. This choice allows for the central component to continue growing, spinning, and moving in the viewer's imagination.

"Ring a Ring of Roses," also known as "Ring Around the Rosie," is a children's nursery rhyme and game in which players hold hands and walk or skip in a circle until the song ends, at which point they fall down. Although the rhyme is widely known, its origins remain debated; the enduring theory linking it to the Black Death is the most notable... a typical nod to mortality from Hirst.

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"Ring-a-ring of roses"

One from a portfolio of twenty three etchings, In a Spin, the Action of the World on Things, Volume 1

Published by the Paragon Press, London

Printed by Hope (Sufferance) Press, London

From an edition of 68

36"H 27.5"W  (sheet)

20.5"H 18.5"W (framed)

Very good condition