Chris Ofili, No Woman No Cry, 1998. Mixed Media, 96x72 in. Tate, London.
12015-11-13T04:14:57-08:00Natalie Hassellc13a775d80de4967fe62310f87310c01d04aab3557353No Woman No Cry was part of the exhibition for which Ofili won the Turner prize in 1998. The mixed media work incorporates oil paint, acrylic paint, graphite, polyester resin, printed paper, glitter, map pins, and elephant dung on canvas. The painting depicts a woman crying against a byzantine-esque gold printed background. Elephant dung is used to form the base the painting rests on, as well as the woman’s necklace. The woman depicted in the painting is Doreen Lawerence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, a victim of a racist attack. Newsprint images of Stephen Lawrence can be seen in the middle of the tears. The painting, with the weeping mother who is represented as a Madonna figure, is a play off the notion of a piéta. Ofili’s title for this work references the popular Bob Marley song of the same title and is representative of his incorporation of popular culture and music into his art.plain2015-11-13T04:42:58-08:00T07502Photo (c) TateNo Woman, No Cry 1998 Chris Ofili born 1968 Purchased 1999 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T07502No Woman, No Cry 1998 by Chris Ofili born 1968Natalie Hassellc13a775d80de4967fe62310f87310c01d04aab35