Chris Ofili came to prominence in the early 1990s with richly orchestrated paintings combining rippling dots of paint, drifts of glitter, collaged images and elephant dung – varnished, often studded with map pins and applied to the picture surface as well as supporting the canvas – a combination of physical elevation and symbolic link to the earth. He won the Turner Prize in 1998 and over the past decade has exhibited in many international institutions. In 2003 he was selected to represent Britain at the 50th Venice Biennale, where he presented his ambitious exhibition Within Reach.
In Ofili's work the rhythmic patterning of painterly and cultural elements – sacred and profane, personal and political, from high and low culture – plays on ideas of beauty while also carrying messages about black culture, history and exoticism. His is a highly seductive art of braided connections that work on many levels, physically and metaphorically. Always displaying linear grace in addition to a surfeit of detail, Ofili's recent works adopt simple, pared-down forms whilst continuing to be just as expansive, dramatic and romantic – full of references to sensuality, sexuality and his ongoing exploration of Biblical themes. Sculpture is an increasingly important element of his work, allowing for further experimentation with form and subject matter. Alongside the recent developments in the artist's material choices, Ofili has remained faithful to a pictorial style that relies on a conscious flattening of the picture plane, carefully layered surfaces, and diverse sources of inspiration.
Born in 1968, Chris Ofili has had major solo exhibitions at Kestnergesellschaft, Hanover (2006), Tate Britain (2005), The Studio Museum In Harlem, New York (2005) and Serpentine Gallery, London (1998). Chris Ofili won the Turner Prize in 1998 and represented Britain at the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003.
In Ofili's work the rhythmic patterning of painterly and cultural elements – sacred and profane, personal and political, from high and low culture – plays on ideas of beauty while also carrying messages about black culture, history and exoticism. His is a highly seductive art of braided connections that work on many levels, physically and metaphorically. Always displaying linear grace in addition to a surfeit of detail, Ofili's recent works adopt simple, pared-down forms whilst continuing to be just as expansive, dramatic and romantic – full of references to sensuality, sexuality and his ongoing exploration of Biblical themes. Sculpture is an increasingly important element of his work, allowing for further experimentation with form and subject matter. Alongside the recent developments in the artist's material choices, Ofili has remained faithful to a pictorial style that relies on a conscious flattening of the picture plane, carefully layered surfaces, and diverse sources of inspiration.
Born in 1968, Chris Ofili has had major solo exhibitions at Kestnergesellschaft, Hanover (2006), Tate Britain (2005), The Studio Museum In Harlem, New York (2005) and Serpentine Gallery, London (1998). Chris Ofili won the Turner Prize in 1998 and represented Britain at the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003.
Exhibitions
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Freedom One Day
25 June - 3 August 2002 -
New Works on Paper
9 May - 23 June 2000
Publications
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Chris Ofili
Dr. Susanna Paisley & Beth Coleman -
Chris Ofili
Thelma Gordon, Adrian Searle, Beth Coleman & Stuart Hall
