'Taytu Betul (H10-5)' (2022) belongs to Hirst’s series 'The Empresses', where the form of the butterfly becomes a rich metaphor for life, death, freedom and transformation. In this print on aluminium composite, the surface is screen-printed with glitter, giving the image an almost jewel-like luster that captures and reflects light in unexpected ways.

The composition presents red and black butterfly wings arranged in a kaleidoscope-like pattern. The symmetry and repetition of the wings suggest both order and movement: each wing appears to have just fluttered, or is about to take flight. The juxtaposition of intense red against deep black creates a visual tension, as if the image exists between stillness and motion, between life and its inevitable echo.

By choosing the butterfly motif, Hirst taps into its traditional symbolism, metamorphosis, fragility, ephemerality, yet he amplifies it through scale, colour and surface sheen to convey something grander and universal. The advanced printing method and glitter surface elevate the work from mere illustration into an object of contemplation: shimmering, reflective, and alive with possibility. The result is an image that invites the viewer not only to look, but to linger, to feel the subtle pulse behind the pattern, and to consider the moment of becoming that lies between presence and absence.