Interrogating the Theme of Social Activism in Selected Collage Works from Three Nigerian Artists

Collage is basically an interdisciplinary and cross-media approach in the art that entails cutting and pasting mostly soft and flat materials such as; paper, fabrics as a way to reference humanity's collective visual memory and context. Invariably, activism aims to bring substantive social, political or economic change[s] through the conscious effort of concerned individual[s]. Beyond the creative repurposing of materials and methods to create new experiences for the contemplation and understanding of our era, collage can be directed purposefully to impact positive changes in the society. This necessitates a system of visual semiotics for scholars in the cultural fields to access significant changes and milestones within the society. Consequently, the study adopts a qualitative research approach with a bias for iconographical-iconological interrogation of selected collage paintings by Chike Obeagu, Tony Nsofor and Bob Nosa Uwagboe. Its objectives among others are to show how these artists had used their collage paintings as culture-based activism to create empathy on the socio-political and cultural realities in contemporary Nigeria. It also establishes the significance of collage art as a research approach that metaphorically provides a visual handle to the understanding of our contemporary zeitgeist.