Damien Hirst and his 25 spots.

With Damien Hirst's forthcoming publication of all 1,400 of the spot paintings, it has been revealed that only 25 came from the hands of the artist. This begs the question can a mass produced concept be an original art work?

Of course it can be argued that as each is a unique combination of colour, and hand painted that each is an original. Could the spots be considered limited edition in this case? A repeated pattern, but all slightly different according to the method definitely sets itself as such. However, the point that catches with these works is not that they are one of a run (ordinarily below 100), but that the spots run past 1000, and are reproduced for market by assistants. Conceived, produced, and consumed.

With such predictability, there is little room left for awe and wonderment. Does working with a method for 27 years cause stagnation? Undoubtedly so, but does that remove the concept from the art work? Possibly. With only 25 of the spot paintings coming from Damien Hirst himself, boredom is suggested. However, if the idea remains the same, the art work does become devalued and diluted as the concept and method are passed down through studio assistants. It does lose its meaning as an an artwork as it becomes tried and tested. The lack of craftsmanship is too brash to swallow. Without experimentation and progression, we are left to doubt the integrity and imagination of an art work, and the artists drive to create great work. When supporting an artist you want to buy into their future career- their creative potential.

What exactly are you buying into when purchasing a spot painting? With names such as Morphine Sulphate , the originality of these works and their edition number is perhaps irrelevant. When household paints are used and named after addictive substances, it is perhaps our boredom and laziness that is being commented on- our endless appetite for mass productions and consumerism. The suggested mindlessness of the spot paintings could in fact be a mirror image of our own methods. With each spot painting the concept becomes further diluted, as does our own integrity in supporting further consumerism irony.

With the issue of originality, it is important to champion new and young artistic talent to overcome stalwarts and mass consumerism. Imagination and investment in the emerging art market breeds excitement and allows for diversion of support towards future greats, away from established artists who have established their ideas and practice.

 

-Sinéad