2014 Catalogue Archive

British artist Chris Ofili received international attention in the late 90s as part of the YBA’s (Young British Artists) for his decorative and densely-painted works featuring African people in cultural and religious scenes. In these beautifully painted watercolors from 1998, Ofili depicts African women in colorful clothing. His fluid paint application gives the images a calm, soft quality that hints at the personalities of the women he portrays. Born in 1968 and educated at the Royal College of Art, Ofili lives and works in Trinidad. In 2010, Tate Britain presented the most extensive exhibition of his work to date. Other significant solo exhibitions have been mounted at The Arts Club of Chicago; Kestnergesellschaft, Hanover; The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; and Serpentine Gallery, London. Ofili won the Turner Prize in 1998 and represented Britain at the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003. Ofili’s upcoming solo exhibition – Chris Ofili: Night and Day – opens at the New Museum this October.