Damien Hirst (1965) - The Empresses: 10-2 Nūr Jahān

As one of today’s most important contemporary artists, Damien Hirst redefines femininity with Empresses a dazzling fusion of glitter, beauty, and timeless relevance.

This series of five laminated Giclée prints on aluminum composite features red and black butterfly wings arranged in kaleidoscopic patterns, in which Hirst reuses the butterfly as a symbol of freedom, religion, life, and death. The works are named after five influential female rulers and radiate strength, passion, and transformation.

Nur Jahan, characterized by complex mosaic-like arrangements and a structural composition, is named after the multifaceted de facto empress of the Mughal Empire. The composition of Nur Jahan is in a constant state of change, new passages with patterns of extraordinary wings are revealed the longer it is observed and as the viewer shifts their position before it. The same applies to the large black and red pairs of wings that circle the outer edge of the composition, alternately arranged to create an uneven frame. In this way, Hirst gives this ordered composition a sense of vitality, as if these butterflies are captured in a fleeting moment of flight in multiple directions.

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