Muller, Silke

ART: das Kunstmagazin (Germany), no. 2, Feb. 2000, pp. 10-21, (11 colour) + figures

Profiles the British artist of Nigerian extraction Chris Ofili, who is noted for his receipt of the Turner Prize in 1998 and for the experimental use of elephant dung in his paintings, and who derives his ideas from the contrasting worlds of popular culture and religion. The author outlines Ofili's homage to modern black heroes and his use of explicit images, and considers the impact of his visit to the Matopos Mountains in Zimbabwe, where he experienced the ancient cave paintings composed of coloured dots that later influenced his own psychedelic and hypnotic images, which are however very different from the Pointillist technique of the late 19th century. She explores the background to his controversial and varied use of elephant dung and traces his progression from early landscape-like works to figure painting, often of women, as in his No Woman, No Cry (1998; illus.). She comments on his continuing interest in hip-hop music and spiritual themes and discusses the work Monkey Magic: Sex, Money and Drugs (1999; illus.), which endows popular myths with magic power. She concludes by examining the challenges posed to critics by Ofili's numerous references, ranging from Western art history, rap music, pornography, politics and 1970s Afro culture to elephant dung and African dot painting, but notes that he is ignored by current anthologies of contemporary African and Afro-American art.

Miller, Paul D. (Interviewer)

Parkett (Switzerland), no. 58, 2000, pp. 164-76, (7 colour)

In interview, the British artist Chris Ofili discusses his work. He asserts that his paintings are part of hip-hop culture, and states that his work operates on multiple levels and is open to interpretation. He explains his intention of transforming everyday `junk' and aspects of contemporary culture into thought-provoking images, noting the importance of his identity as a Londoner. He discusses his techniques and current projects, and explains the importance of music, drawing parallels between his concerns and those of contemporary hip-hop and soul artists. He considers his painting The Holy Virgin Mary (1996; col. illus.) with reference to issues including the stereotyping of black women, the paradox of the virgin mother, and notions of beauty and caricature, and concludes by asserting that art can be constructed from anything and should be unrestricted by cultural norms.

Thon, Ute

Kunstforum International (Germany), no. 148, Dec. 1999-Jan. 2000, pp. 432-4, (3 colour)

Discusses the controversial reception in New York of one particular work in the touring Sensation exhibition of works by young British artists at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York. The author describes the political and cultural furore instigated by mayor Rudolph Giuliani over the showing of the paper and oil collage The Holy Virgin Mary by Chris Ofili on account of its inclusion of elephant dung, and comments on reaction by the PEN club, critics, artists, politicians, and religious bodies to moves to penalize financially the Brooklyn Museum for showing an allegedly blasphemous work. She sets the controversy in the context of previous protests, such as that against Robert Mapplethorpe, and concludes by highlighting the consequences for the Brooklyn Museum in terms of visitor numbers and security measures, and the implications for artistic freedom.

MacRitchie, Lynn

Art in America (U.S.A.), vol. 88, no. 1, Jan. 2000, pp. 96-101, (7 colour)

On the occasion of the exhibition Afrobiotics on show at Gavin Brown's Enterprise in New York (16 Oct.-13 Nov. 1999), and the inclusion of his work in Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection on show at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York (2 Oct. 1999-9 Jan. 2000), profiles the British artist Chris Ofili. The author describes the artist's background, and the relevance of his Catholicism to an interpretation of his work, comments on his education and influences on his work, including his 1992 trip to Zimbabwe, and traces the development of his career. She highlights his subject matter, which focuses on `blackness', and also sex, religion and politics, explores his imagery, including coloured dots, and his use of materials, including elephant dung and images from pornographic magazines. She considers the controversy surrounding The Holy Virgin Mary (1996) when it was exhibited in London and New York, considers the evolution of Ofili's oeuvre, and examines Black (1993), The Naked Soul of Captain Shit and the Legend of the Blackstars (1999; illus.), She (1997; illus.), and the artist's portrait of Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen was murdered in a racist attack.

Ross, Andrew (Interviewer)

Artforum (U.S.A.), vol. 38, no. 3, Nov. 1999, pp. 45, 48, (4 colour)

In interview, the American lawyer Amy Adler explains how the First Amendement clause applies in the case of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York and the Sensation exhibition (1999). She examines the case brought by mayor Giuliani, who protested that artists had violated their right to free speech by producing works such as Chris Ofili's The Holy Virgin Mary (1996; illus.), speculates on the outcome of the legal case, and notes that whatever the result, it will have a `chilling effect' on the development of contemporary art.

Fusco, Coco

NKA: Journal of Contemporary African Art (U.S.A.), no. 10, Spring-Summer 1999, pp. 40-5, (6 colour)

Discusses the public reaction to the work of the British artist Chris Ofili, noting a widespread belief that his popularity and success in the 1998 Turner Prize was due to his being black, examining the contradiction inherent in his use of elements of black culture and his statement that his art is not politically motivated, and drawing a parallel between the public debate surrounding Ofili and that of the black-American artist Kara Walker. The author describes Ofili's works in his exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London (29 Sept.-1 Nov. 1998) and at the Turner Prize exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London (28 Oct. 1998-10 Jan. 1999), including Black Paranoia (1997), Afrodizzia (1996-97), Spaceshit (1996), The Holy Virgin Mary (1996), Foxy Roxy (1997), She (1997), Blossom (1997), and Rodin (1997-8), focusing on the influence of ancient cave paintings, the use of elephant dung, and the fragments of black cultures and exaggerated black features of the human figures. She draws parallels between Ofili's works and those of black American artists including Jacob Lawrence, James Phillips, Charles Searles, and Romare Bearden, and concludes by analysing the symbolism of the dung incorporated into Ofili's works, stimulating imagery of the dehumanization of black people and the black artistic move towards modernism.

Slyce, John

Flash Art (Italy), vol. 32, no. 204, Jan.-Feb. 1999, pp. 74-6, 3 illus. (2 colour)

Discusses the work of the British artist Chris Ofili (b.1968). The author analyses the artist's use of elephant dung in his work since its origins in 1993, and contends that this material has now become the distinguishing trait of Ofili's oeuvre. He traces the beginning of his artistic career, emphasizing the relevance of the artist's sojourn in Zimbabwe in 1992 where he encountered Maputo cave paintings and the body scarring practised by the Nuba tribe. The author studies the recurrent themes present in the work of this artist and identifies a concern with the notion of identity as the essential co-ordinating element of his artistic production. He considers the artist's reworking of the stereotype of the `black artist', and concludes by contending that his work remains open to a myriad of interpretations.

Maloney, Martin

Modern Painters (U.K.), vol. 11, no. 3, Autumn 1998, pp. 41-2, (4 colour)

Considers the work of the British artist Chris Ofili, the subject of an exhibition Chris Ofili at the Serpentine Gallery in London (29 Sept.-1 Nov. 1998) and shortlisted for both the 1998 Turner Prize and the Jerwood Painting Prize. The author discusses developments in Ofili's painting over the last five years, and reflects on his use of flatness, his interest in decoration and the appropriation of art historical motifs in his work. He remarks on the impact of Ofili's paintings and considers the artist's choice of materials, which include elephant dung, glitter and collaged pornography, focusing on the way the use of the latter opens up a debate as to the nature and status of painting and collage. He examines the changing relationship between pattern, image and abstraction in Ofili's work and, in conclusion, comments on the cartoon imagery in his recent paintings.

Myers, Terry R.

Art/Text (Australia), no. 58, Aug.-Oct. 1997, pp. 36-9, (4 colour)

Discusses the work of the artist Chris Ofili, who was born in Britain of Nigerian parents. The author describes Ofili's experience of a visit to Zimbabwe in 1992 as a turning point in his career, sensitizing him, not only to the visual traditions of Africa which he now uses in his paintings, but also to the material relationship between animals and the earth; Ofili has since regularly used animal dung as a material in his paintings and sculptures, and the connotations of his use of this material inform aesthetic understanding of his work at several levels. He explains that, in his sculptural work, Ofili has used animal dung to comment on works by David Hammons and to create semi-representational works which demonstrate dung's potential as an artistic medium, and considers how Ofili's paintings, which are typically bright, deliberately decorative, and often figurative, explore myths surrounding Africa and the notion of painting-as-body, observing that some incorporate elements shaped from dung as part of a collage design and others are presented next to pieces of dung. The author concludes by describing his favourite painting by Ofili - Captain Shit and the Legend of the Black Stars (1996) - which depicts an African comic book super-hero, while asserting the grounding of the decorative in its material condition.