damien hirst and felix gonzalez-torres celebrate candy

damien hirst and felix gonzalez-torres celebrate candy
installation shot, candy
damien hirst & felix gonzalez-torres
blain|southern
photo by peter mallet, 2013

felix gonzalez-torres and damien hirst
blain|southern, london
october 16th, 2013 – november 30th, 2013

british artist damien hirst‘s ‘visual candy’ series comes together with the spill work of the late felix gonzalez-torres, presented together exclusively in a exhibition celebrating both the artists and the medium. the curated collection pairs gonzalez-torres’ sculptural structures beside hirst’s abstract paintings of medicinal pills, and compares the ways in which each artist used candy as a creative material during the early 1990s. both artworks engage in a relationship with each other in terms of color and texture, emphasizing a sense of balance and chromatic equilibrium within the gallery space.

installation shot, candy
damien hirst & felix gonzalez-torres
blain|southern
photo by louis shadwick, 2013

gonzalez-torres’ unique sculptures made of candies are copiously piled in corners, spread across the floor as textured carpets, and wrap around existing architectural beams. the multisensory, participatory experience allows viewers to the exhibition to freely choosing whether to touch, take or consume the candy. the ever-changing stacks, constantly altered throughout the day, imply that life itself is in a permanent state of flux.

felix gonzalez-torres, ‘untitled’, 1992
candies individually wrapped in variously coloured cellophane, endless supply
overall dimensions vary with installation, original size: 2 x 48 x 48 in.
image © the felix gonzalez-torres foundation, courtesy of andrea rosen gallery, new york

hirst’s ‘visual candy’ series, made between 1993 and 1995, were created as a direct retort to an art critic who had dismissed his spot painting series as ‘just visual candy’. while undoubtley abstract, the spots are representations of medicinal pills alluding to the psychological effects of mood-enhancing drugs. despite their surface optimism, the series hides a unsettling undercurrent of darkness and tension.

damien hirst, dippy dappy dabby, 1993
oil on canvas, 85 x 61 x 5 cm / (33½ x 24 x 2 in)
image © damien hirst and science ltd. all rights reserved, dacs 2013
photography by prudence cummings

damien hirst, ‘some fun’, 1993
oil on canvas, 85 x 61 x 5 cm / (33½ x 24 x 2 in)
image © damien hirst and science ltd. all rights reserved, dacs 2013
photography by prudence cummings

installation shot, candy
damien hirst & felix gonzalez-torres
blain|southern
photo by peter mallet, 2013