Blossom 1997

Chris Ofili made Blossom with paint, paper collage, glitter and, yes, even elephant dung, as part of his explorations of Black identity. Look at how the figure emerges from this ground of shimmering colour. It's not just paint slapped on; it's more like a slow build, layer by layer, like a dance between accident and intention. The material is super interesting. The collage and glitter catch the light, and the dung adds this earthy, grounding weight, literally and metaphorically. Ofili isn’t trying to hide the process, he’s making it part of the story. I’m drawn to the way he outlines the figure in this delicate blue, against the rich tones of her body. It's as if he's revealing a hidden layer, a secret structure beneath the surface. There's something about this juxtaposition of materials and methods that reminds me of Niki de Saint Phalle, both in the freedom of expression and the subject matter, but Ofili is very much his own person. Art isn’t about answers, it's about keeping the conversation going.