Vipera Lebetina

Damien Hirst’s acclaimed ‘Spot’ series, comprised of meticulous grids of variously coloured spots, is frequently regarded as one of the most iconic examples of contemporary British art. Begun in 1986 while he was a student, Hirst originally conceived of the ‘Spot’ paintings as an endless series.

This primary output was supplemented with 13 subseries, each relating to a particular category of drugs and varying slightly from the usual aesthetic format. As such, all works are titled with the names of chemical compounds, echoing the preoccupation with science and pharmaceuticals that has followed Hirst throughout his career.

The entrancing screenprint ‘Vipera Lebetina’ (2011) hails from Hirst’s first ever subseries, ‘Venoms’, began in 1989. Grids of pastel or pale coloured spots define the group, those of ‘Vipera Lebetina’ uniquely taking hold of the viewer and pulling them into Hirst’s manufactured world. The peacefulness of the print’s formal qualities is juxtaposed by its title. The works from ‘Venoms’ are all named after poisonous substances secreted from animals with ‘Vipera Lebetina’ referring to the deadly venom of the Lebetine Viper of North Africa.