Chris Ofili has long been inspired by mythology and classical texts and has mined these stories to create significant bodies of work. These include his monumental suite of paintings and works on paper inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which were exhibited at the National Gallery in 2012, as well as sets for Diana & Actaeon for the Royal Ballet as a part of Metamorphosis: Titian 2012. More recently, his tapestry The Caged Bird’s Song, 2017, wove classical references with aspects of contemporary Trinidadian life to create a new mythological landscape.

In this suite of prints which Ofili has created to accompany Charlotte Higgins’ new retelling of the Greek Myths, the artist deftly captures the essence of the nine myths in a series of exquisite serpentine drawings.

Here are myths of the creation, of Heracles and Theseus and Perseus, the Trojan War and its origins and aftermaths, tales of Thebes and Argos and Athens, stories of love and desire, adventure and magic, destructive gods, helpless humans, fantastical creatures, resourceful witches and the origins of birds and animals. Unlike in many previous collected myths, female characters take centre-stage – Athena, Helen, Circe, Penelope and others weave these stories into elaborate imagined tapestries. In Charlotte Higgins’ thrilling new interpretation, their tales combine to form a dazzling, sweeping epic of storytelling, and a magnificent work of scholarship and imagination.