Take Damien Hirst’s new Snapchat lens for a spin
The YBA pacemaker has teamed up with the messaging app to devise an interactive, augmented reality experience to support Partners in Health during the Covid-19 pandemic

British artist Damien Hirst has joined forces with Snapchat to develop a new spin art lens in aid of Partners in Health. The initiative sees Hirst's renowned – and divisive – spin paintings spun into an augmented reality experience. Users can create and share their own spin paintings by lashing, dashing and splashing vivid virtual paint onto a round, whirling canvas. All that’s required is the Snapchat app, a reasonable Internet connection and a lust for colour.
The collaboration is in support of Partners in Health, a non-profit social justice organisation bringing quality health care to vulnerable communities across the world. Stationed in four continents, Partners in Health are using more than 30 years of experience in fighting epidemics to provide vital information and care to those most in need during the Covid-19 crisis.
Damien Hirst, Beautiful Catalogue of Human Insensitivities Tingles Down the Lager and Lime Splat Painting, 2017. © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved, DACS 2020
‘It's amazing to be working with Snapchat on this totally mega spin art lens and making it possible for millions of people to make their own spin paintings right from their phones,’ says Hirst, who drew inspiration for his famed spin paintings from memories of watching BBC's Blue Peter as a child. ‘I'm so happy that this partnership also supports Partners in Health, a brilliant and forward-thinking organisation that helps communities in developing countries around the world cope with the devastating impact of Covid-19.’
Damien Hirst x Snapchat, 2020
INFORMATION
damienhirst.com
snapchat.com
pih.org
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Harriet Lloyd-Smith was the Arts Editor of Wallpaper*, responsible for the art pages across digital and print, including profiles, exhibition reviews, and contemporary art collaborations. She started at Wallpaper* in 2017 and has written for leading contemporary art publications, auction houses and arts charities, and lectured on review writing and art journalism. When she’s not writing about art, she’s making her own.
-
A new Québec house blends open-plan living with far-reaching views
The Mountainside Residence is anchored into its sloping site by a concrete plinth, above which sits a main living space with tall ceilings and walls of glass
-
The Valkyrie returns Aston Martin to top-level Le Mans competition
Wallpaper* went trackside to witness the Aston Martin Valkyrie's impressive showing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025
-
Studio Frith and Perfumer H celebrate a decade of collaboration
Studio Frith’s ten-year partnership with Perfumer H has shaped a brand world defined by care, craft and quiet poetry. Wallpaper* meets studio founder Frith Kerr and design director Claire Koster to find out how
-
London calling! Artists celebrate the city at Saatchi Yates
London has long been an inspiration for both superstar artists and newer talent. Saatchi Yates gathers some of the best
-
Lubaina Himid and Magda Stawarska’s new show at Kettle’s Yard will uncover the missing narratives in everyday life stories
The artists and partners in life are collaborating on an immersive takeover of Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, in an exhibition that delves into a lost literary legacy
-
See the fruits of Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely's creative and romantic union at Hauser & Wirth Somerset
An intimate exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Somerset explores three decades of a creative partnership
-
Caroline Walker's new show speaks to women everywhere, including me
'Everything related to my life with young children, because it's such an all encompassing experience,' the artist says of her new show at the Hepworth Wakefield
-
Cassi Namoda is rethinking stained-glass windows at Turner Contemporary in Margate
The artist drew from an eclectic range of references when considering the traditional medium for a Turner Contemporary window overlooking the beach – she tells us more
-
Meet the Turner Prize 2025 shortlisted artists
Nnena Kalu, Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa are in the running for the Turner Prize 2025 – here they are with their work
-
The art of the textile label: how British mill-made cloth sold itself to Indian buyers
An exhibition of Indo-British textile labels at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru is a journey through colonial desire and the design of mass persuasion
-
From counter-culture to Northern Soul, these photos chart an intimate history of working-class Britain
‘After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 – 2024’ is at Edinburgh gallery Stills