Iterative Fictions

How does the past appear alongside us?

Weeksville Heritage Center is pleased to announce Iterative Fictions [IF], an exhibition featuring new sculpture, sound, and mixed-reality artworks by Eto Otitigbe, culminating his tenure as the 2024 Artist-in-Residence at Weeksville Heritage Center. [IF] invites audiences to engage with narratives reshaped through cycles of storytelling, animating objects from Weeksville’s archival collection.

The concept of “iterative fiction” underpins the exhibition, exploring how history is revisited, transformed, and reimagined over time. Through direct access to Weeksville’s archival collection, Otitigbe undertook a process akin to crate digging for vinyl records—carefully sifting through objects and texts to create artworks that spark reflections on selfhood, heritage, and our shared histories. His works examine how art and technology shape our understanding of the past and invite questions such as: What does it mean to animate old magazine and comic book covers? How do historical social and political issues intersect with today’s concerns?

“When we peer into the materials of [IF]—whether physical or intangible—we encounter slivers of history that compel us to see ourselves within these stories. In contemplating these reflections, we reckon with how deeply intertwined our identities are with these histories. If we keep looking, what else will we find?” – Eto Otitigbe

Iterative Fictions [IF] exhibition was made possible in part by the support of the Mellon Foundation.

About the Artist

Eto Otitigbe is a polymedia artist whose interdisciplinary practice includes sculpture, performance, installation, and public art. He is interested in recovering buried narratives and giving form to the unseen. He is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture in the Art Department at Brooklyn College.