Chris Ofili’s Afrotranslinear show was amazing. Although I assume everyone hoped to see some of his infamous elephant dung works, I was pleasantly surprised with the pencil renderings and watercolor works on exhibition at the Arts Club of Chicago. The entire show was seamlessly displayed, as his afro-delineated pencil drawings led to a room of small watercolor paintings and drawings that depicted afro-muses.
One element that unified most of the works was the bulbous afro shapes also seen in the pornographic butts and the elephant dung of his previous paintings. In one drawing, the form was enlarged and delineated using small afro heads. The small shapes are beautifully drawn and meticulously crafted, calling for a very intimate viewing.
Interestingly, Ofili’s work is as intentional as it is gestural. The show’s press release accurately describes the paintings and drawings as simultaneously “crude” and “purposeful”. This juxtaposition is particularly striking in the 7 brides for 7 bros, 2006 series, one of my favorites. From afar, the drawings look like loose Picasso-esque contours of naked women in erotic poses but from close-up, each line is composed of small afro-head drawings.
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