Traffic Chaos and Lock jam on Lagos Roads: Visual Expression of Select Lagos-Based Artists

Abstract

Existing studies on transportation system of Lagos over time focused on the visual account of travellers and slogans printed on cars, buses and 
trucks particularly commercial vehicles. But little attention has been paid to the diverse ways transportation disorder such as, chaos and lock jam 
are represented in artistic works of Lagos-based visual artists. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the representation of traffic chaos in 
the paintings of Festus Adeyemi, Bolaji Ogunwo, Ishola Matthew and Dolapo Ogunnusi who are contemporary artists in the city of Lagos, with a 
view to offering an interpretive schema on the works of the selected artists. Douglas Kiel and Euel Elliott theory of chaos, which opined that 
instability and disorder were essential to the evolution of complexity in the universe was adopted as framework. Sixteen paintings were purposely 
selected as samples. Qualitative data were obtained through interviews of the four artists whose works were selected. Painting works of the selected artists and the interviews were subjected to narrative descriptions. The artists actualised the complication in urban Lagos transportation, and gave visual expression to the impatience of drivers and other road users, which resulted in traffic gridlocks. Colour and other artistic elements guided by art principles accurately projected the works and made them lexical. Transportation chaos on the streets of Lagos and how the artists have generated the creative ideas represent instability and disorderliness in the Lagos public space made up this work