Chris Ofili, born on October 10, 1968, in Manchester, England, is a British painter and sculptor renowned for his intricate, multilayered paintings that blend the sacred with the profane. Ofili's work is characterized by its vibrant palette, rich textures, and the incorporation of unconventional materials, most notably elephant dung. His art explores themes of spirituality, race, identity, and the complexities of the contemporary and historical Black experience, making him one of the most influential figures in contemporary art. Ofili's parents, of Nigerian descent, moved to England from Lagos, Nigeria, a few years before his birth. Growing up in a religious household, Ofili and his siblings were raised in the Roman Catholic faith, which later influenced his artwork. Despite his initial interest in furniture design, Ofili discovered his passion for painting during an art foundation course at Tameside College in Ashton-under-Lyne, near Manchester. He pursued this passion further by studying at the Chelsea School of Art, London, where he graduated with a B.F.A. degree in 1991, and then at the Royal College of Art, London, where he received an M.F.A. in 1993. Ofili's early career was marked by his participation in the Young British Artists (YBAs), a group known for their provocative and sensational works. In 1998, he became the first Black artist to win the prestigious Turner Prize, an award recognizing outstanding exhibitions or other presentations of visual art by British artists. This accolade cemented his status within the art world and highlighted his unique approach to painting, which often involves layering paint, resin, glitter, collage, and elephant dung. The use of elephant dung in his paintings, a signature element of Ofili's work, is both a cultural reference to his African heritage and a commentary on the value society attaches to materials. This unconventional material first caught Ofili's attention during a scholarship trip to Zimbabwe in 1992, where he was inspired by the country's ancient cave paintings and wildlife. Elephant dung, collected from the London Zoo, became a recurring motif in his work, used both as a textural element on the canvas and as supports for his paintings. Ofili's work gained international notoriety in 1999 when his painting "The Holy Virgin Mary" was exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum as part of the "Sensation" exhibition. The painting, which depicts a Black Madonna adorned with elephant dung and surrounded by images cut from pornographic magazines, sparked controversy and public outcry, particularly from New York City's then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who deemed the work "sick." Despite the controversy, Ofili's reputation as a critical and thought-provoking artist continued to grow. In 2005, Ofili relocated to Trinidad and Tobago, a move that marked a significant shift in his artistic practice. His work from this period onwards shows a departure from the vibrant, densely packed compositions of his earlier years to more serene, contemplative pieces. This change is exemplified in his series of blue paintings, which embrace the color's power to dominate and transform the canvas into dreamlike, moonlit landscapes. Ofili's work has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions worldwide, including a mid-career retrospective at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York in 2014, titled "Chris Ofili: Night and Day." His art is held in the collections of major institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and Tate Britain. In recognition of his contributions to art, Ofili was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2017. Throughout his career, Chris Ofili has continually challenged and expanded the boundaries of painting, using his work to explore complex themes of identity, culture, and spirituality. His innovative use of materials, combined with his deep engagement with the historical and contemporary Black experience, has established him as a pivotal figure in contemporary art.

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