Mr. Danfo (Seidougha Linus Eyimiegha)
- ART & STORIES
*1991, Lagos, Nigeria, lives and works in Lagos
Residency period: April to June 2024
In collaboration with Pro Helvetia Johannesburg and RAIOG
Mr. Danfo is an artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. His work is inspired by the streets of Lagos and the everyday struggles of life in the city. Through his practice, he replicates and redefines various aspects of his interactions with the city. Many of his ideas come from the Danfos (yellow minibuses providing transportation services to the population). The images, symbols, colours, and texts on the buses inform his aesthetic. Also prominent in his work is the street language of contemporary Lagos, a mix of slang words as Pidgin, Yorùbá, and English expressions.
Danfo, a dominant motif in the artist’s thinking and creation, is not a mere transport bus, but an apparatus to understand the social classes that exist in Lagos. Just as Danfo tells current stories through its interior and exterior, so too does Mr. Danfo re-enact those stories in his artworks, using colour, geometric shapes and graphic designs. His themes are closely tied to the issues of lower-class Lagosians who primarily get around with the Lagos Danfo.
Residency Project
The project Mr. Danfo is currently developing in his 3-month residency is Safety and Street Signs. This project explores street signs in urban planning and public transportation. It also revolves around safety in public spaces, with a focus on global road safety through different media. First inspired by traffic signs on Lagos roads, the project is now nourished by the streets of Geneva and other cities of Switzerland. This series explores the cultural, visual and creative interactions between these different cities.
Mr. Danfo’s research process includes discovering the cities as well as exploring the UN Archives on road traffic signs and signalization and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) model for visual communication. The work, however, is not grim, as it brings a stirring and stimulating aesthetic to the subject, managing to weave public safety, awareness, and beauty in a fruitful and ongoing dialogue.
Year : 2024