London was an exciting place to work at one point because, socially, it was very progressive - a catalyst. There were very interesting artists making all types of work, but it got to a point where the social aspect became claustrophobic. Chris Ofili More Quotes by Chris Ofili More Quotes From Chris Ofili The studio is a laboratory, not a factory. An exhibition is the result of your experiments, but the process is never-ending. So an exhibition is not a conclusion. Chris Ofili exhibitions factories process I was listening to a lot of hip hop, music like Public Enemy that was about raising consciousness, and I realised I could feed that directly into my work, using images in a way that was a bit like sampling - taking images from diverse places, exploring the contradictions without trying to hide the seams. Chris Ofili hip-hop listening enemy There's a magic that comes from playing entirely to who you are. I've got my specialist subject - in the Mastermind sense - and I wouldn't change it, or who I am. Chris Ofili mastermind magic who-i-am There was a point in time where the thought of people even talking about me made me anxious. Physically. Chris Ofili made talking people When I left the Royal College, I decided I would only make paintings that I would want to look at myself, that felt close to my life. Chris Ofili college want looks In the end, it doesn't really matter what you paint. It's all just a routine to connect yourself finally with other people. Chris Ofili routine people art Sometimes, as I feel a door or an exit point in my work is closing, I'll try to create an opening so as not to stifle the creative process, which I see as a process that's never-ending. Chris Ofili creative doors trying The studio is a place where I can experiment before I'm prepared for an idea to become a body of work, or a new way of working, or a way of working that can sustain me over a period of time. Chris Ofili body way ideas When I was painting in art school - and I think many painters in the 1980s worked similarly - a finished painting would often be constructed from lots of other paintings underneath. Some of these individual layers of painting were better than others, but that was something that you would often only realise retrospectively. Chris Ofili art school thinking I'm aware that success can overwhelm you. The perception of you can be elevated to such a status that it's not you any more. Chris Ofili perception Often I think changes within my work have been seen as sudden changes or sharp changes, but for me they're not that sudden. They have been there in the studio, but not so much in public. Chris Ofili sudden-change studios thinking Love is a blissful state, but it's not a utopia. Chris Ofili state utopia love-is love I think visual seduction is really a lovely thing. To be able to look at something and feel you want to get closer and closer to it, and as you get closer to it, the more you drop your guard. Chris Ofili feel look think you Doubt is important because it suggests progress. Total certainty can mean there's no assessment of things. Doubt, if you don't panic, can allow newness to come in and challenge something that's an established mode. Chris Ofili challenge you progress important A lot of what Trinidad is about is the feeling of the place, the atmosphere of the place, particularly at night, and the mystery of the forest. Chris Ofili forest feeling mystery night I wouldn't say even that I'm a broadly political person. But on occasion, I have felt that I have no choice but to paint something with a strong moral stance. Chris Ofili choice moral political strong Change is not indecision. Chris Ofili indecision change I was brought up a Catholic and was an altar boy. Chris Ofili altar boy up catholic I believe in God, but I'm not dominated by it. Chris Ofili i-believe-in i-believe god believe We all studied math, but we don't go around spewing numbers. Religion should be used in the appropriate way. Chris Ofili go numbers way religion
