Abstract:
Traffic gridlock is one of the features that define urbanism and complex spatial
configuration of the Lagos metropolis. Existing visual anthropological studies on
urban transportation system have focused on visual analytic approaches to the visual
accounts of travellers, and slogans printed on cars, buses and trucks, particularly
commercial vehicles. However, little attention has been paid to the diverse ways’
transportation disorder is represented in artistic works. This study, therefore, was
designed to explore the representation of transportation chaos on Lagos roads in the
paintings of selected Lagos based-visual artists, with a view to providing an
interpretive schema of the selected works.
Douglas Kiel and Euel Elliott’s Theory of Chaos, which states that instability and
disorder were essential to the evolution of complexity in the universe, was adopted as
the framework. The interpretive design was used. Sixteen paintings were purposively
sampled for thematic affinity, narrative and symbolic contents. They are Olokada,
Keke Marwa, The New Order, and BRT Lane by Festus Adeyemi; Old Oshodi, After
the Rain, Rail line Market, and At the River Side by Bolaji Ogunwo; Idumota, Morning
Rush, A Place I used to Know I, and A Place I used to Know II by Ishola Matthew,
Closing Time at Idumota, Before the Closing Hour, Busy Bus Stop, and Rush Hour in
Lagos Island by Dolapo Ogunnusi. The paintings were subjected to visual analysis.
Festus Adeyemi’s paintings, stylistically adopted the use of lines in creating forms to
depict the chaos associated with Okada and Marwa riders on Lagos streets. Olokada
and Keke Marwa depicted the disorder and confusion that pervaded the urban
transportation system, while New Order and BRT Lane indicated orderliness. Bolaji
Ogunwo, used textured surface of the canvas to showcase the chaotic experiences in
the old Oshodi and other areas in Lagos with clumsy driving activities. The shades of
colours authenticate the colour value in the works: After the rain and Rail line market.
Ishola Matthew creatively used very warm colour of blue and purple to demonstrate
the chaos on the streets of Lagos with combinations of light and dark symbolising
struggling and perpetual movement of vehicles in Lagos city. Unstable forms and
patterns, with heavy painting strokes in Idumota and A Place I Used to Know
described not just the population challenges in Lagos, but also the urban decline that
had resulted from transportation pressure. Dolapo Ogunnusi’s paintings actualised the
complication in urban Lagos transportation with vivid expression to the impatience of
drivers and other road users, which resulted in traffic gridlocks by structuring the
forms and contents to express Lagos transportation chaos. The theme of periodicity of
chaos was well elaborated in all the paintings where overlapping yellow buses
conveyed the vivid image of gridlock.
Transportation chaos on Lagos roads, and the values, which visual artists have
generated through paintings, represent instability and disorderliness in the urban public
space. The selected paintings were stylistic pieces embedded with artistic impression
of reality.
