Black Shunga

Chris Ofili

2008–15

A luminous suite of eleven etchings and gravure prints on pigmented paper in which Chris Ofili layers deep-blue color, floral drawing, and handwritten text to evoke the intimate, historical associations suggested by the title “Black Shunga.”

A velvety, jewel-blue rectangle immediately commands attention, its soft, cloud-like color shifts punctuated by a delicate spray of flowers and bold, vertical hand-lettering that frames the image.

By combining traditional etching and gravure with intense pigment fields and references to Japanese shunga and personal ritual, Ofili broadened contemporary printmaking’s expressive possibilities while probing themes of eroticism, memory, and cultural exchange.

Palette

Art Terms

Etching Intaglio Print Pigment Portfolio Contemporary art Figurative

Exhibitions

Committed to Print

1988

Japanese Calligraphy

1954

New Japanese Photography

1974

British Drawings

1977