Connectivity and Coexistence: Pratt Manhattan Gallery's Exploration of Art and Community

The Pratt Manhattan Gallery will unveil Body/Object/Environment on November 17, 2023. This exhibition challenges the boundaries between human experience and material culture. Curated by Susan E. Wicks, it features works from 14 artists in diverse media, including sculpture and video installation. The gallery explores how art fosters conversations about community and cultural understanding.

Central to the exhibition is the relationship between humans and non-human entities—objects and environments that shape interactions. A notable piece is Sara Rahbar’s Flag #6 (2006), which examines national identity through textile assemblages. Rahbar’s reclaimed fabrics question how everyday materials influence identity.

Nick Cave’s Soundsuit series, represented by a 2012 piece on loan from the Jack Shainman Gallery, highlights the body as both subject and object. Crafted from discarded items, the Soundsuits reflect how material culture serves as a repository of memory. Cave’s work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, but this version emphasizes dynamics between the wearer, audience, and materials.

“Art has the capacity to open dialogues that extend beyond the gallery walls,” Wicks stated during a press preview on October 26. “By merging the human and non-human, the exhibition encourages viewers to reconsider their own positionality.” This approach aligns with a trend in institutional programming that prioritizes inclusivity.

Pratt Manhattan Gallery has a history of exploring such themes. Previous exhibitions, like Material Witness (2021), examined the agency of objects in cultural contexts. Body/Object/Environment expands this scope to include ecological considerations. Carolina Caycedo’s Cosmotarrayas—woven fishing nets transformed into sculptures—highlights the entanglements between communities and waterways. Caycedo’s work has been shown at the Whitney Biennial, situating this presentation within a broader discourse on environmental justice.

The exhibition also features video art, including Kota Ezawa’s National Anthem (2018), which reinterprets NFL kneeling protests through digital animation. Ezawa’s minimalist style reduces complex gestures to their core elements, broadening accessibility while provoking reflection. This underscores the exhibition’s emphasis on art as a medium for navigating shared spaces.

This thematic focus resonates within the current political climate. The exhibition coincides with growing attention to the rights of non-human actors, from ecological preservation movements to debates over the personhood of natural entities. By situating these issues within art, Body/Object/Environment invites audiences to contemplate how cultural institutions shape public discourse.

Complementing the exhibition are public programs, including a panel discussion with Wicks, Rahbar, and environmental historian Dr. Kaiya Summers on December 5. These initiatives deepen audience engagement, allowing exploration of the exhibition’s themes. Summers’s work on eco-critical humanities adds a scholarly dimension to the gallery’s community-oriented programming.

However, the exhibition does not resolve the tensions it presents. By juxtaposing works that celebrate material entanglements with those that critique them, Body/Object/Environment maintains a productive ambiguity. As Cave’s Soundsuit animates discarded materials, Rahbar’s Flag #6 implicates them in narratives of displacement. This dissonance is central to the exhibition’s success; it favors open-ended inquiry over didacticism.

Pratt Manhattan Gallery’s location within a university known for nurturing emerging voices in art and design positions the exhibition as a site for dialogue. Its free admission policy underscores a commitment to accessibility, inviting a broad audience to engage in conversations that extend beyond aesthetic appreciation.

Ultimately, Body/Object/Environment gestures toward art’s potential as both a mirror and a catalyst. Whether through Caycedo’s environmental reflections or Ezawa’s critiques, the exhibition emphasizes cultural institutions' role in facilitating nuanced discussions. The gallery’s investment in public programming ensures these themes resonate beyond its walls and into the cultural landscape.

As Wicks noted, “The question isn’t just how we coexist, but how we engage meaningfully with the objects and environments that frame our lives.” Visitors may leave with more questions than answers, but the exhibition succeeds in keeping the conversation alive.