Exhibition: Requiem in remembrance of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy

Chris Ofili and Khadija Saye met in Venice when they were exhibiting work, a month later Ms Saye died in the Grenfell Tower fire.

Now, Mr Ofili has unveiled a major site specific work at Tate Britain paying tribute to his fellow artist.

Spanning three walls, Requiem remembers the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire and offers a poetic reflection on loss, spirituality and transformation.

The work has opened to the public following private viewings for Ms Saye’s family and the Grenfell community earlier this month.

Requiem is a journey through an imagined landscape of giant skies with vast horizons and flowing water, unfolding in three chapters.

The left-hand wall depicts a bowing figure representing a prophet or witness.

He holds the burning tower as though conducting a ceremony of loss and his tears fall into an ocean of despair.

Ms Saye is shown at the centre of an energy force high up on the middle wall.

Her pose is drawn from her work Andichurai 2017, a screen print of which is also on display at Tate Britain.

The Gambian incense pot she holds symbolises the possibility of transformation through faith.

To the right is a paradise-like landscape of hope and peace, where two mythical beings make music under the shade of a tree.

The composition is united by water, to represent collective grief as well as connecting Venice, London and Mr Ofili’s home in Trinidad.

Mr Ofili said he recalled the feelings he had when he made No Woman, No Cry in 1998 as a tribute to Stephen Lawrence and his mother Doreen.

He said: “A statement of sadness was manifested in No Woman, No Cry.

“That feeling of injustice has returned. I wanted to make a work in tribute to Khadija Saye.

“Remembering the Grenfell Tower fire, I hope that the mural will continue to speak across time to our collective sadness.”

Website: www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/chris-ofili-requiem

 

Picture: Chris Ofili’s Requiem. Picture: Chris Ofili