Mr. Danfo’s body of work at the 2023 Rele Young Contemporaries addresses one of his major concerns as a frequent road user, which is, the role of traffic signs in our day-to-day commute. Having studied various traffic signs and how countries around the world have all designed theirs to ensure the safety of their citizens, he has been able to pick unifying elements from these signs and re-compose them to create paintings with themes centered on the safety of children, the need to care about the lives of others and propose possible future traffic signs.
Mr. Danfo is probably still traumatized by the accident he had a couple of years ago, hence he is creating paintings that discuss issues related to traffic and safety.
The paintings he created during his residency at Rele Art Foundation and for the Young Contemporaries exhibition reference major road signs/ signals and pavement markings such as the stop sign, traffic light, zebra crossing, regulatory signs, and yield sign. He also explored familiar colours from safety and street signs.
His acrylic on canvas paintings looks really graphic because he intends to blur further the boundaries that exist between painting and graphics. With this new body of work, he engages broadly with the history of safety and street signs generally, their evolution, their continued relevance, and global usage.
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