Damien Hirst Paints Hope Among Chaos In The City With ‘Civilisation Paintings’

Damien Hirst in the studio, 2024

© Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved, DACS/Artimage 2024 via HENI (for press use)

Damien Hirst’s latest artistic bloom, The Civilisation Paintings, offers a fresh coat of optimism on our urban canvas. It paints quite the picture of the modern world, brushing aside doom and gloom for a more colorful outlook.

This collection of 32 oil paintings, presented by HENI Gallery in London, reimagines metropolitan life as a vibrant fusion of city and nature. The artist’s brush dances between skyscrapers and greenery, creating dreamlike landscapes that challenge our perception of urban environments. Departing from the themes of his earlier The Secret Gardens Paintings, however, he addresses the need for optimism amid the turmoil. The use of bright, lively hues adds a layer of positivity to what could easily be seen as a bleak commentary on the state of the world today.

Damien Hirst, Civilisation Rising (H17-1), 2024. Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. via HENI

Despite the unpredictable mix of realism, pointillism, and energetic flinging, there’s a surprising order in the artworks.

Damien Hirst, Civilisation Rising (H17-1), 2024. Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. via HENI

Damien Hirst, Civilisation Rising (H17-1), 2024. Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. via HENI

These contrasting methods reflect the tension between control and disorder—a central theme in the array. The artist’s signature colored spots, arranged in grids and made using the tops of his paint tubes, echo his famous Spot Paintings and symbolize the engineered elements of cities, constantly decaying and being replaced.

Damien Hirst, Civilisation Falling (H17-2) with gold effect frame, 2024. Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. via HENI

Hirst leans into the unpredictability of his process, embracing the randomness that comes with thrown paint. He believes that surrendering control is part of capturing the essence of modern civilization—chaotic, yes, but still full of hope. His goal with these pieces is to evoke that sense of teetering on the edge while encouraging viewers to hold on to optimism, even when it feels like everything is unraveling.

Damien Hirst, Civilisation Explained (H17-3) with gold effect frame, 2024. Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. via HENI

Damien Hirst, Civilisation Exploding (H17-4) with gold effect frame, 2024. Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. via HENI

“These paintings are about our civilizations today. I wanted them to feel fantastical and chaotic and on the edge of destruction,” Hirst notes. “It’s often hard to have hope or romanticize about our current landscape or our civilizations but we must have hope, no matter how dark the world gets. But to distract from the nihilism and the hate, I tried to paint them optimistically, like ice cream.”

Damien Hirst, Civilisation Exploding (H17-4), 2024. Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. via HENI

You can see The Civilisation Paintings for yourself, finding beauty in the ruins, at Phillips in London until September 2.

Damien Hirst, Civilisation editions, 2024. Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. via HENI

[via Time Out London, Secret London, FAD Magazine, images via HENI (for press use)]