XX: Sarin: Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst
XX: Sarin 
From Poisons + Remedies (2010)
13 ¾ x 11 inches
Published by Gagosian Gallery & Other Criteria

Print (framed)

Framed from Damien Hirst’s limited-edition artist book Poisons + Remedies, Sarin (Plate XX) is a stark and chilling reflection on the aesthetics of danger. Carefully removed from the original 2010 volume and archivally framed, this book print distills one of the most infamous nerve agents in history into a clean, clinical presentation—devoid of imagery, yet heavy with menace.

Used as a chemical weapon and classified as a weapon of mass destruction, sarin occupies a dark space in the collective consciousness. Hirst’s minimal design, featuring only its name, highlights the disquieting neutrality of scientific language used to describe substances of catastrophic consequence. As with much of the Poisons + Remedies series, the visual restraint belies the psychological weight of the subject.

This 13 ¾ x 11 inch framed print is in excellent condition and offers a sobering, conceptually rich addition to any collection focused on language-based art, contemporary minimalism, or the ethics of science and symbolism.