Name: In the Groove
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 5 (231 reviews)

Meaning & Analysis

Making up Damien Hirst’s second volume of The Action Of The World Upon Things, In The Groove is one of 14 editioned prints produced in this series from 2002. The print depicts concentric circles with thin lines emanating outwards from the centre, rendered in shades of red, orange and yellow.

In The Groove is directly related to Hirst’s famed spin paintings, produced with a rotating canvas attached to a spin machine, onto which he poured paint. This series of etchings was produced with copper plates attached to the machine with the spiral lines drawn with needles, screwdrivers, and other sharp tools as they spun. The process of creating these works became a performance-like ritual that continued for numerous days.

Hirst first produced the original spin paintings in 1993 at the curator Joshua Compston’s mock parish fair, ‘A Fete Worse than Death.’ Hirst performed at this show alongside other artists like Tracey Emin and Gary Hume, disguising himself as a clown. Together with Angus Fairhurst, Hirst made spin paintings using a rotating machine, allowing visitors to participate and create their own artworks.