R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence 1974 - 1993 (2013)

About the work

In 'R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence 1974 - 1993', Ofili re-visits his iconic artwork, 'No Woman, No Cry' (1998) - the artist's tribute to the murdered South London teenager. Using a photographic image of the largely unseen phosphorescent layer of Ofili's 1998 painting as a starting point, the viscous ground, layers of textured detail and shadowy female silhouette have been lithographically printed and the calligraphic text of the work's title is picked out in a layer of silk-screened phosphorescent ink.

Ofili states: "The vicious murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 and the pain and suffering of Doreen Lawrence and her family has had a dramatic effect on British life. The painting 'No Woman, No Cry', the image of the weeping woman, has always been my way to bring to the surface a sense of sorrow and loss. The painting also has another layer where the text, 'R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence 1974 - 1993', is spelled out but is only visible when viewing the painting in lowlight to signify an everlasting life. The recent conviction of two of the murderers was a bittersweet relief but the struggle with institutional racism in British life, highlighted in the Macpherson report, still continues."