Site-specific mural by Chris Ofili on the North Staircase of Tate Britain that pays tribute to Khadija Saye and remembers the Grenfell Tower fire.
Chris Ofili has a site-specific mural, Requiem, on long-term view at Tate Britain, and it's one of those things that asks for a bit of time rather than a quick glance. It was unveiled in September 2023 and is due to stay on view for ten years, so there's no rush to catch it this weekend—it'll still be there when you're next in the area.
It's a tribute to the artist Khadija Saye and a remembrance of the Grenfell Tower fire. Ofili met Saye in May 2017 when they were both exhibiting in Venice; she died in the fire just a month later, a loss that hit him hard. The mural unfolds in three chapters. The first, 'Look. Look at this. Look at what we've done. Look at what is happening', shows a witness figure presenting the burning tower. The second, 'Change and transformation', is anchored by Saye herself, holding an andichurai—a Gambian incense pot—in a pose taken from one of her own self-portraits. The third, 'A place for redemption, healing and hope', is a paradise where souls rest amid music and peace. Ofili has spoken about the discomfort of being unable to look away from such an awful event, and that tension sits right at the heart of it.
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Beside the work, there's a booklet that lists the names of those who died in the fire, which grounds the whole thing in the real people behind the tragedy. If you're heading in, you'll find it on the North Staircase, the back staircase off the Manton Street entrance, rather than in one of the main galleries. It's a quiet spot to take it in properly.
