Chris Ofili Manchester, UK, b. 1968

  • Photograph: Kibwe Braithwaite/The Observer

  • Chris Ofili is a distinguished British artist and an integral figure among the Young British Artists (YBAs), celebrated for his intricate, multilayered paintings and works on paper that interweave abstraction, figuration, and cultural symbolism. 

     

    Lives and works in Trinidad

     

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    He received his BA in Fine Art from the Chelsea School of Art in 1991 and his MA from the Royal College of Art in 1993.


    Ofili’s distinctive visual language is defined by vibrant compositions combining resin, glitter, collage, and elephant dung—materials that lend his work both tactile richness and conceptual complexity. Since relocating to Trinidad in 2005, he has drawn inspiration from its lush landscapes, light, and layered histories. His paintings often evoke mythic narratives and allegorical scenes, where African diasporic identity, spirituality, and contemporary experience converge.


    In 1998, Ofili received the Turner Prize, and in 2003 he represented Great Britain at the 50th Venice Biennale. A major retrospective of his work was presented at Tate Britain in 2010, followed by Night and Day at the New Museum, New York, in 2014, which later traveled to the Aspen Art Museum.

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    Ofili’s works are held in major public collections worldwide, including The British Museum, London; Tate, London; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.
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