Double Captain Shit and the Legend of the Black Stars
Double Captain Shit and the Legend of the Black Stars (1997) features the character Captain Shit, a black superhero invented by the artist. The character made numerous appearances in Ofili’s paintings, such as The Naked Spirit of Captain Shit and the Legend of the Black Stars (2001) and The Adoration of Captain Shit and the Legend of Black Stars [2nd version"> (1998). Captain Shit was partly based on the Marvel comic hero Luke Cage, one of the earliest black superheroes, who first appeared in a comic in 1972. Luke Cage was created during the height of the Blaxploitation film genre, and for Ofili, Cage was a symbol of the stereotypical depictions of black masculinity in the 1970s popular culture. In creating Captain Shit, the artist made a direct connection to the aesthetics of Blaxploitation movies, soul, and funk music. His aesthetic can also be linked to Barkley L. Hendricks’s stylish portraits of black individuals from the 1970s: Northern Lights (1976) and Sir Charles, Alias While Harris (1972).
Double Captain Shit and the Legend of the Black Stars depicts two overlapping figures of Captain Shit. The painting has a tactile quality; its surface is covered with layers of glitter, pins, and resin. The cream-colored background is filled with black stars with cutouts of eyes at the center, which were clipped from magazines. The stars can be interpreted as untold stories of fame in black history and culture. The figures are composed of small dots of black, red, and yellow and touches of green in the fingernails. Ofili chose to create belt buckles out of elephant dung with the initials ‘CS’ written in yellow and black, standing for Captain Shit. Lumps of elephant dung were also placed on top of the painting and on the floor to support it in a vertical position.
Both the technique of small dots and the use of elephant dung are practices inspired by a 1992 artist's research trip to Zimbabwe. For Ofili, elephant dung was an interesting material as it was a trace of wildlife, and its inclusion was a way of incorporating the natural African environment into his art. During his visit to Zimbabwe, he also saw ancient cave paintings in the Matobo Hills. The cave paintings had surfaces composed of small dots, and the artist emulated this technique in Double Captain Shit and the Legend of the Black Stars. It is also noteworthy that the color scheme of red, yellow, black, and green is reminiscent of many 20th century Black American artists like Jacob Lawrence, James H. Phillips, and Charles Searles. Through bold color schemes and geometric patterns typical for African textiles, these artists wanted to establish an aesthetic connection to Africa. In Double Captain Shit and the Legend of the Black Stars Ofili aimed to create art that is humorous and enjoyable to audiences. At the same time, through parody and exaggeration, Ofili’s painting makes potent commentary and contributes to severe discussions on Blaxploitation and dominant representations of black masculinity.
