In the major Damien Hirst solo show "The Weight of Things" from 26 October 2023 up to and including 24 November 2024 in the MUCA Halls, a total of seven works from his "Spin Paintings" series were on display. For this series, Hirst specially developed an apparatus that uses centripetal force to spread paint on a circular canvas. Along the large wall on the ground floor of the MUCA, these colourful, large-format canvases had found a prominent place in the overall exhibition. In addition to their dimensions, their mechanical rotation fascinated viewers as soon as they entered the exhibition hall.
"In a way, movement implies life: The moment they stop, they begin to rot and stink."
Damien Hirst began experimenting for his "Spin Paintings" series in 1992. He developed his spin apparatus two years later during a scholarship in Berlin. Hirst used centripetal force to distribute the paint on circular canvases. The end result depends on the speed and duration of the rotation, the fluidity of the paint and the choice of colour.
"I really like doing them. And I like the machine, and I really like the movement. Every time they're finished, I really want to do another one. [They're] childish... in a positive sense of the word," says Hirst.
The random compositional technique of these Spin Paintings contrasts with Hirst's Spot Paintings, but both are variations on the idea of an imaginary mechanical painting.
Hirst's Spot Paintings consist of dots of uniform size but in different colours, arranged according to a strict geometric grid. Damien Hirst began this series during his student days and worked on it for around 20 years. Over the years, he refined the creative process and gradually removed every trace of human intervention until the works appeared to have been painted by a machine. The titles of the paintings were chosen at random from a pharmaceutical company catalogue.
The Spin Paintings all have long titles that begin with "Beautiful" and end with "Painting".
They are also characterised by their bright colours.
For example, spin paintings with the following titles were exhibited at the MUCA:
In 2020, Damien Hirst collaborated with the messenger service Snapchat. This allows users to create and share their own spin paintings virtually.
