Chris Ofili and David Adjaye: The staging of contemporary painting. On the scenographic condition in the new relationships between pictorial practices and the design of exhibition spaces

Abstract

The main exhibitions of the British painter Chris Ofili allow us to recognize how current artistic practices have transcended the limits of the strictly plastic. This expanded conception of painting has meant an extension of the artist's work beyond the limits of the canvas. In their exhibitions, the paintings enhance their presence and impact thanks to the characteristics of the spaces that surround the works. The design of their samples includes the lighting of the rooms, the color and materials of the walls, and even the creation of mural paintings in the rooms where the canvases are displayed. Studies on current pictorial production must also face the challenge of analyzing the staging of the works. The plastic creation is associated with the design of the spaces, and the lighting is conceived in a scenographic manner, assuming a kind of dramatization of the paintings.