BPH has been contacted by a representative of Ana Briongos. In 1967 Prince Emmanuel travelled to Spain with his wife where he enrolled in the Escuala Massana art school. Three years later the married couple left Spain and moved to London. They never returned to Spain or reclaimed the precious suitcase, full of photographs and artworks from his time in Barcelona.
Today, Emmanuel Adele Oyenuga must be in his eighties, and his wife Elisabeth Olayemi Oyenuga a little younger, and their children, son Adedoyin ‘Doyin’ Oyenuga, born ca. 1964 and daughter Oyinade “Oyin” Oyenuga, born 1968.
The materials found in the suitcase point to different social and cultural moments in the history of Nigeria and beyond: the Nigerian Civil War, the cultural ties between two countries, Nigeria and Spain, the legacy of the artist, the story of emigration, Nigerian studio photography of the 1970s and first and foremost, to restitution
The suitcase is in the safe keeping of Luisa Guadayol’s daughter – Ana Briongos and together with the African Artists’ Foundation they have begun the quest to find relatives of Prince Emmanuel Adewale Oyenuga or indeed the Prince himself.
If you can assist in finding, or have any knowledge of the Nigerian photographer please email: michael@mpritchard.com so information can be passed on.
• An exhibition of Oyenuga's work is on view at FORMAT, Derby. See: https://formatfestival.com/event/unpacking-the-suitcase/
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