By Rahmat Oladejo
One of Nigeria’s contemporary artists Olumuyiwa Afolabi Olusola, will present his latest body of works in a solo watercolour exhibition titled Echoes of the Commute, opening on October 10, in Lagos. The exhibition, which will hold at Mydrim Gallery, 74 Norman Williams Street, South-West Ikoyi, Lagos, will feature a collection of works inspired by movement, memory and the human experiences embedded in everyday journeys through the city.
For Olusola, the exhibition looks beyond the familiar images of traffic and crowded streets to examine the stories carried by people as they move from one destination to another.
He describes the daily commute as a space filled with waiting, movement, encounters, frustrations, anticipation and moments of quiet reflection that can easily go unnoticed. Through watercolour, he translates these experiences into impressions of light, colour, movement and atmosphere.
The artist’s statement explains that the works explore the lives of people pursuing livelihoods, dreams, relationships, opportunities and better futures, presenting every commuter as a carrier of an individual story within a larger collective narrative.
Rather than treating transportation simply as a means of getting from one location to another, Olusola sees the commute as a metaphor for life, characterised by constant movement, change and uncertainty while continuing to
Echoes of the Commute reflects the artist’s distinctive approach to watercolour, a medium he describes as fluid, transparent and unpredictable. He allows water and pigment to participate in the creative process, creating room for spontaneity, discovery and transformation.
According to Olusola, the unpredictability of watercolour enables him to explore changing human perception. Through transparent layers, fluid movement and deliberate marks, he seeks to create a visual language that captures movement even within moments of apparent stillness.
Works that will feature include A Pause in Time, Step of Joy, Ìgbà Kan (Once Upon a Time), 20 Children (Ògún Ọmọdé), Urban Dilemmas, King Arrival, A Royal Welcome, Harmattan, Oshodi Òkè, The Vanguard, Galloping Shadows, Cashless (POS) and Echoes of the Commute (POS).
The collection also includes Meeting Point, Red Roof, Homecoming, Unearthed, A Few Minutes After, Greatful Heart and Stepping Out, among other. Most of the pieces are executed in watercolour.
One of the notable works in the collection is A Royal Welcome, a large-scale watercolour measuring eight feet by four feet, described in the exhibition material as the largest watercolour painting in the collection. Another work of the same dimensions, A Royal Welcome 3, is also included.
Olusola, a painter, illustrator, graphic artist and brand strategist, has more than 15 years of professional experience working with advertising agencies and brands in Lagos. He studied Fine Arts (Painting) at Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained an HND.
His artistic practice is rooted in observations of everyday life and explores themes including memory, cultural identity, human connection, resilience and the changing realities of contemporary society. His works have been exhibited in Nigeria and internationally, including in India, France and Italy.
With Echoes of the Commute, Olusola invites viewers to pause amid the rush of everyday life and reconsider familiar scenes. The exhibition seeks to reveal beauty, memory and meaning in ordinary encounters, turning the everyday journey through Lagos into a visual reflection on movement, connection and life itself.
