Jelili Atiku to Present “Eyes No Dey Forget Wetin Heart See” in “1922 Revisited” at Venice Biennale 2026
Performance engages Yoruba cosmology, memory, and public space within Third Space Art Foundation program
NEW YORK, NY, April 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Third Space Art Foundation will present a performance by Jelili Atiku (Nigeria) as part of 1922 Revisited, a live arts program taking place during the preview week of the Venice Biennale (May 5–9, 2026).
Curated by Dr. Janine A. Sytsma, the program brings together artists from across Africa and its diasporas to engage a historical moment in the Biennale’s exhibition history through contemporary performance.
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Atiku will present Eyes No Dey Forget Wetin Heart See, a performance that unfolds as what the artist describes as a “luminous pilgrimage” - a deliberate, trance-like journey through urban space. The work centers on a mystical figure embodying the earth’s energy, moving through the city in a processional form that integrates Yoruba spiritual traditions, ritual movement, and symbolic materials.
The performance invites audiences to immerse themselves in the environment’s rhythm as part of a process of transformation and renewal. Drawing on Orisha traditions and psychogeographic approaches, the work situates the body as a site of reflection, resistance, and reclamation.
Atiku’s broader practice spans performance, installation, and drawing, and is grounded in a sustained engagement with indigenous knowledge systems and political activism. His work frequently addresses the overlapping forces of colonialism, environmental degradation, and social injustice, using ritual and public action to create spaces for dialogue and collective awareness.
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In Eyes No Dey Forget Wetin Heart See, Atiku takes the 1922 exhibition of African art as a point of departure.
With this performance, Atiku explains that he seeks to “liberate African art from colonial contexts,” reclaiming “silenced voices.”
The performance will take place across multiple sites in Venice during preview week through a multiday sequence of enactments.
1922 Revisited is presented in collaboration with the African Art in Venice Forum (AAVF) and the European Cultural Centre (ECC-Italy), with additional academic and institutional partners supporting research and documentation.
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The program is developed in dialogue with the curatorial framework of the 2026 Biennale. Its theme, In Minor Keys, emphasizes attention to affective and sensory dimensions of artistic experience, creating space for reflection, listening, and encounter.
In parallel with the live program, Third Space Art Foundation is developing a companion publication, Harmonies of Repair, which will include artist contributions, curatorial essays, and archival research related to the project.
Key Facts
- Jelili Atiku will perform Eyes No Dey Forget Wetin Heart See during Venice Biennale preview week (May 5–9, 2026)
- Presented by Third Space Art Foundation
- Performance described as a “luminous pilgrimage” through urban space
- Integrates Yoruba cosmology, Orisha traditions, and ritual movement
- Engages memory, embodiment, and public participation
- Part of a multi-site live arts program across Venice
- Presented in collaboration with African Art in Venice Forum and European Cultural Centre
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About Third Space Art Foundation
Third Space Art Foundation supports artistic exchange and collective engagement through the cultivation of third spaces - dynamic zones of encounter, negotiation, and creative transformation. Drawing from the widely embraced concept of third space as a site for dialogue, and Homi Bhabha’s decolonial theory of third space as a liminal ground that challenges fixed hierarchies and dominant narratives, Third Space Art Foundation advances practices that expand cultural understanding and foster new frameworks for connection. Through exhibitions, residencies, and collaborative initiatives, it brings together artists and communities across geographic and cultural divides, working to catalyze critical inquiry, mutual understanding, and new structures of solidarity.
To learn more visit: https://thirdspaceartfoundation.org/
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Mike Verano NEWMEDIA.COM pr@newmedia.com 212-220-6200
Jelili Atiku Performance Procession, “Eyes No Dey Forget Wetin Heart See,” 1922 Revisited, Venice Biennale 2026
Jelili Atiku’s Eyes No Dey Forget Wetin Heart See unfolds as a processional performance through urban space, integrating Yoruba spiritual traditions, ritual movement, and audience participation. Presented within 1922 Revisited, the work engages memory, embodiment, and collective encounter during the Venice Biennale 2026 preview week.
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