Othello, Joyful Sorrow

A stunning presentation of the acclaimed British painter Chris Ofili’s newest body of work that continues his exploration of Shakespeare’s Othello

Renowned for his rich, multilayered paintings, Ofili here expands his engagement with William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (1603–1604). The transmuting colors and forms of the watercolors and paintings in this volume reflect the complex interiority of the character Othello—his vulnerabilities and his joyful sorrows. The artist also considers these works, which investigate ideas of authenticity, meaning, and selfhood, to be partly self-portraits. As viewers and readers, encountering a subject whose features split and shift with each repeated representation, we are asked to consider metamorphosis, love, the bearing of outside influences on our inner selves, and the force we exercise on the world.

Published on the occasion of a two-site exhibition staged by David Zwirner Paris and Victoria Miro in Venice, the catalogue includes a text from Ofili’s studio and a selection of poems by Jason Allen-Paisant from his 2023 collection Self-Portrait as Othello.