Name: Spin Spin Sugar
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 5 (231 reviews)

Meaning & Analysis

Published as part of Damien Hirst’s second volume of In A Spin, The Action Of The World Upon Things, Spin Spin Sugar is an etching from 2002. The etching shows concentric circles that appear to have been scratched onto the print’s surface, with some less controlled wiry lines overlain on top. Hirst’s signature, the print date and title can faintly be seen inscribed into the surface of the etching.

The In A Spin, The Action Of The World Upon Things portfolio is directly inspired by Hirst’s very famous spin paintings that he began producing in 1995. These works were created with a spin machine in the artist’s studio, onto which he attached a circular canvas that he then threw paint on. These etchings were created using the same spin machine, instead with copper plates attached and sharp tools to draw the concentric circles.

The second half of the series’ title, ‘The Action of the World on Things’ derives from a phrase the artist coined in 1999 when he was clarifying the origins of his spot paintings. He distinguished two aspects of his work: “an involvement with death and decay, and ideas and life: the action of the world on things exists somewhere, and the colour exists somewhere else. And it’s fantastic.” In A Spin, The Action Of The World Upon Things is said to unite these two elements of Hirst’s work.