TIME STAMP: Preserving the Small Moments That Speak the Loudest

Every Nigerian knows that some of our loudest moments don’t come with full sentences — they come with a look, a sound, a single word like “Ah!” or “OMO!” The Time Stamp series by Emmanuel Adeyemi leans into that language — not the one in textbooks, but the one we speak in buses, group chats, living rooms, and under our breath when life surprises us.

Time Stamp is a growing collection of small but powerful works. Think of them like frozen frames from a comic strip — textured, colorful, raw — each one holding a moment you may have lived yourself. Some are loud. Some are empty. All are asking something of you.

Material Matters

Each work is carved from cemented foam and painted in acrylics — giving it both weight and softness. The jagged edges are intentional, refusing the usual smooth borders of gallery art. These pieces don’t pretend to be polished. They feel real — like life in Lagos, or anywhere that speed and softness clash.

Time Stamp 1 kicks off the series with a burst of energy: a raised red hand and a comic-style speech bubble shouting “OMO!”

If you know, you know. It’s that sound when you open NEPA bill. When you see an old friend after years. When something just shocks you. It’s an exhale and a reaction rolled into one.

But Time Stamp 2 switches gears. The bubble is left blank. No text. No caption. Just space. This time, Emmanuel hands it over to you.

The collector gets to write in whatever they want — a thought, a mood, a personal slang. It’s part artwork, part mirror.

A Living Series

This isn’t just a group of paintings — it’s a living archive of the moments we don’t always talk about but never forget. The kind that live between WhatsApp voice notes and burnt plantain, between Sunday silence and Monday chaos. Each Time Stamp holds emotion in shorthand.

And it’s still unfolding. More pieces are coming — each one another chance to hold space for a feeling, a memory, a Nigerian expression of now.

For the Collectors

The works are currently available through theplaytimestudio.com.

You can Wishlist your favorites or buy now if something speaks to you. If you’re the type to frame your favorite tweet or screenshot an old chat for laughs, this series is for you.

Because sometimes, the thing you want to remember… is just one word. Or no word at all.