Eto Otitigbe, 2022 Saint-Gaudens Fellow

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Cornish, NH • nps.gov • Through August 7, 2023

The Saint-Gaudens Fellowship was launched in 1978 to provide financial support and exhibition opportunities to artists based primarily in the U.S. who are selected based on their exceptional exhibition record and the rigor of their work. The Fellowship is stewarded by the Saint-Gaudens Memorial, a non-profit organization housed on the grounds of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907) home and studio in Cornish, NH. By promoting the work of contemporary American artists, the program links the legacy of Saint-Gaudens to current discourses in sculptural practice. The Fellowship culminates in an exhibition at the Saint-Gaudens Memorial each spring. Abra Ancliffe, exhibitions coordinator at Saint-Gaudens said, “Those of us at the Saint-Gaudens Memorial and the curatorial staff of the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park support the artist’s vision and allow them to determine the scope of the exhibition.”

Fellow Eto Otitigbe’s exhibition opened this spring with a series of new works in Saint-Gaudens Picture Gallery. Otitigbe, a polymedia artist whose interdisciplinary practice includes sculpture, performance, installation, and public art, interrogates historical narratives and posits alternatives to conventional lines of thought through works that frequently combine sculpture, installation and new media.

Two new works, Okioso and Blueprint for a Cosmic Mirror, Variant #1, are installed in the East Room of the Picture Gallery, the primary exhibition space on the grounds. Okioso (2022) is a triptych on aluminum panels mounted to wood supports. The work, combining drawing, painting and assemblage techniques, features linear designs that resemble topographical diagrams. The designs are set against the luminous, variegated aluminum which give the piece an ethereal feeling.

In the West Room is Abandoned Orchestra (2021), a freestanding installation composed of hexagonal metal origami forms, organ pipes and a video projection with sound. This installation, in the center of the gallery, can be experienced in-the-round. Throughout his practice, Otitigbe extends the language of sculpture and imbues it with timely social commentary. His work is fresh and relevant to contemporary discourse, and activates the Beaux-Arts era venue in new and surprising ways.

As evidenced by this exhibition, the Saint-Gaudens Memorial Fellowship enriches the cultural landscape of New Hampshire’s Upper Valley by showcasing innovative contemporary artwork in this idyllic rural setting. — Eric Sutphin