Chris Ofili: Devil's Pie, at DAVID ZWIRNER

James Kalm pops in for a tour of the debut exhibition of Chris Ofili at Zwirner. With a renewed interest in straight painting, Ofili's new works have eschewed the bejeweled and rich brocade like surfaces that that garnered it much attention. The new work evolves from a painterly approach that begs a dialog with masters of thin translucent color like Matisse, Avery, and Rothko. By combining the ephemeral color planes with images derived from biblical and folktale sources Ofili seeks a precarious balances between his personal heritages with that of contemporary painting. Major bronze sculpture reveals the artist's sensuous grasp of volumetric form and a decorative nature that extends into the third dimension. Critical comments are contributed by Stephanie Buhmann one of New York's most insightful young art critics.