Pink Afternoon

Since 2006, Chris Ofili has worked with Two Palms on various series, embracing the unknown outcomes of printmaking to devise unexpected methods for creating monoprints and etchings. Ofili’s Pink Afternoon series uses the Suminagashi Japanese paper marbling technique to create unique chine collé backgrounds for etchings based on Stéphane Mallarmé’s 1876 poem of the same title. The abstracted background Ofili creates with the Suminagashi paintings evoke the dreamlike state of the just awoken fawn as he attempts to reconcile whether the encounter with nymphs he recalls is a dream or reality. Ofili interpreted Mallarmé’s poem through his own context and surroundings, choosing colors that reflect the volcanic ash and coral pink sand of Barbados.