Utterly unmarred by the mixed reviews of his ‘blue’ painting exhibition at the Wallace Collection, Damien Hirst’s aptly titled exhibition, ‘Nothing Matters,’ opened last Tuesday at White Cube’s Mason’s Yard and Hoxton Square, whose spaces have been filled with more of the same – dark, macabre triptychs painted by the man himself, as opposed to a pretty spot manufacturing minion.
Stripped of diamonds, of formaldehyde and pharmaceutical pills, the artist has returned to his art historical roots in more ways than one. Not only has he picked up a paintbrush, but he has referenced, or should I say mirrored entirely, one of the greatest British painters of the twentieth century – Francis Bacon. The tripartite formats, the anatomised figures and chalky lines that cage his haunted subjects are shameless – or is that reverential? -Bacon-esque allusions.
The crow is his latest signatory hallmark, his new ‘butterfly,’ that appears throughout the 2 exhibitions – with outspread wings, black feathers and all, blood splattered and the omens of bad news. It’s these very Hirst motifs– the crow, the smaller depictions of the skull that re-ignite our excitement with the love/hate Brit artist – a pretty major feat after a jaded, ‘bacon re-hash’ reaction.
Hash or re-hash though, the fact is that Hirst has achieved such unparalleled success as an artist, that critics, academics and other high-brow worthies’ dismissive damnations don’t really matter. His monopoly of the London art scene and allure to status collectors is still absolutely intact – with at least five of the seven largest works already sold before the opening.
For more details visit www.whitecube.com
