New York’s New Museum is celebrating British artist Chris Ofili via a retrospective exhibition titled Chris Ofili: Night and Day, his first major solo show in the US.

Over the past two decades, Ofili’s work has become synonymous with vibrant and intricate artworks that amalgamate artistic techniques and themes such as figuration and abstraction. The Turner Prize winning artist, who became most widely known as one of the leading Young British Artists of the 90s, alongside Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, has carved his aesthetic via a prolific body of work that journeys such disparate sources as Art Nouveau, hip-hop, Zimbabwean cave paintings and Blaxploitation films.

Forming rich layers of assorted materials – like resin, paint, glitter and elephant dung – he creates a textured collage effect, combining man-made and natural mediums. And though it was his controversial use of the latter in early intricate paintings that rose him to tabloid notoriety, it’s been his subtle treatment and questioning of societal issues such as race through personal and historic themes that have afforded him an enduring legacy. Treading the line between politically expressive and deeply introspective his paintings convey a complexity that brings with it a longevity and a political and artistic influence – often discomforting, always enthralling.

Currently residing in Trinidad, having made the move in 2005, Ofili continues to explore artistic possibilities and break down art’s considered norms. His most recent canvases have been populated by “exotic characters, outlandish landscapes, and folkloric myths that resonate with references to the paintings of Henri Matisse and Paul Gauguin”, says the New Museum.

The wide and illuminating nature of this exhibition provides a holistic view of Ofili’s work and career, highlighting the adaptive nature of the artist’s work and his constant willingness to explore nascent techniques. This one’s running until late January so there’s plenty of time to get down and check it out during any winter NYC trips on the agenda.

Chris Ofili: Night and Day runs until 25th January at the New Museum, 235 Bowery, New York