capaneus by damien hirst - intricate insect mandala

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capaneus by damien hirst - intricate insect mandala
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capaneus by damien hirst - intricate insect mandala
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'capaneus', 2012 by damien hirst
insects and household gloss on canvas
1524 x 1219 mm
image © designboom

 

 

designboom had the chance to see the latest work of renowned british artist damien hirst at white cube during art basel in miami 2012.
'capaneus' is created by placing hundreds of varieties of insect and beetle species into household gloss paint, and then arranged in intricate geometric patterns.
this piece is part of the 'entomology' series that hirst has been working on since 2009 - with each artwork named after phases and
characters in dante alighieri's the 'divine comedy' - a famously portentous vision of the afterlife.

 

this work’s title is informed by dante’s ‘inferno’ which tells of the warrior king capaneus being struck down with lightening and thunder
bolts by the enraged deities of whom he loathes. dante's portaryal stems from the latin poem ‘thebaid’ in which it is described how,
body and helmet aflame, capaneus falls from the walls to the ground below where he lies outstretched - ‘his lifeless body as immense as that of a giant.’
the work references hirst's ongoing exploration of nineteenth century natural history artifacts and the paradox of having to kill
something in order to look at it.

 

 


'capaneus' is created by placing hundreds of varieties of insect and beetle species into household gloss paint, and then arranged in intricate geometric patterns.
image © designboom

 

 


this piece is part of the 'entomology' series that hirst has been working on since 2009
image © designboom

 

 


the artwork is named after phases and characters in dante alighieri's the 'divine comedy'
image © designboom

 

 


this work’s title is informed by dante’s ‘inferno’ which tells of the warrior king capaneus being struck down with lightening and thunder bolts by the enraged deities of whom he loathes
image © designboom

 

 


the work references hirst's ongoing exploration of nineteenth century natural history artifacts
image © designboom

(4 articles)
(14 articles)
7
  • Jan Fabre?

    Erik says:
  • bleah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    annamaria says:
  • Never seen such a sh… – waste of animals life!
    Don’t support it!

    C says:
  • Killing wild animals for the sake of art? It’s like the 19th Century all over again. I bet it sells for millions :(

    JonnyC says:
  • Damien Hirst is the most overpaid artist on this planet. His art will end up in the pile of other trash eventually.

    susanne says:
  • I think this could be named as “the Pattern of a Massacre”…but it’s quite impressing .Don’t be angry with the artist.As long as you eat,you kill.So,what would they prefer to be,food or material?

    ssnn8 says:
  • This is the worst I can ever think of. Better do this using some other medium then using innocent insects.

    Kota Parthasaradhi says:

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