Afro Apparition 2003

Chris Ofili made this Afro Apparition out of paint and other materials. The colors are deep and lush, like looking into a dark garden at twilight. Up close, you can see how Ofili builds up the surface, with layers that shimmer and catch the light. The paint isn't just flat, it's got a real presence, like the painting is breathing. There is a dark mass at the center of the canvas. It seems to want to appear as a definite form, but only offers a suggestive outline of something like a figure, maybe a couple, hidden in foliage. Ofili is known for mixing the sacred and the profane, and this piece is no exception. It reminds me a little of the psychedelic paintings of Peter Doig. Both artists use color and texture to create worlds that are both familiar and strange. They remind us that art doesn't have to be one thing or another; it can be a space of possibility.