Chris Ofili, R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence 1974 - 1993, 2013

17 7/10 × 14 inches

Edition of 100

Other examples of this now iconic print are in the permanent collection of the Tate Gallery, The V & A Museum and other venues worldwide.

Excellent condition. In 'R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence 1974 - 1993', Ofili re-visits his iconic artwork, 'No Woman, No Cry' (1998) - the artist's tribute to the murdered South London teenager. Using a photographic image of the largely unseen phosphorescent layer of Ofili's 1998 painting as a starting point, the viscous ground, layers of textured detail and shadowy female silhouette have been lithographically printed and the calligraphic text of the work's title is picked out in a layer of silk-screened phosphorescent ink.
Ofili states: "The vicious murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 and the pain and suffering of Doreen Lawrence and her family has had a dramatic effect on British life. The painting 'No Woman, No Cry', the image of the weeping woman, has always been my way to bring to the surface a sense of sorrow and loss. The painting also has another layer where the text, 'R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence 1974 - 1993', is spelled out but is only visible when viewing the painting in lowlight to signify an everlasting life. The recent conviction of two of the murderers was a bittersweet relief but the struggle with institutional racism in British life, highlighted in the Macpherson report, still continues."
Chris Ofili's fascinating and fantastical paintings draw on a variety of art and popular culture influences, including comic-book heroes, pornography, jazz and hip hop, 70's afro hairstyles and Blaxploitation movies. Perhaps most famous for the elephant dung his canvases rest on, Ofili's multi-layered, multi-patterned paintings are intricately worked and benefit from sustained scrutiny. Closer examination of his paintings can, however, also bring the unwanted kind of attention, as was the case at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, where the showing of his canvas 'The Virgin Mary' as part of 'Sensation' exhibition led to New York's then mayor Giuliani trying to shut down the show. Born in 1968 and educated at the Royal College of Art, Ofili lives and works in Trinidad.

Accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity hand signed by the artist.