In Pratt Manhattan Gallery’s latest exhibition, Like everything alive that we try to hold forever, an international roster of seven artists reflects on ways that our human bodies exist in relation to non-human objects. Their work illustrates just how complex and interconnected these relationships are, demonstrating how the systematic collection, consumption, and contextualization of objects impact our understanding of self and others.
Through photography, sculpture, and video, the exhibition starts to navigate the many issues that come with being human. Some of the artists conduct their exploration from an internal perspective, studying issues of identity, likeness, and self-authorship. Others reckon with the role of imposed knowledge systems in defining what is (and isn’t) human, addressing the biases and harms that are often entrenched within systems and collections under the guise of neutrality. Across the exhibition, parallels are drawn between the legacy of archaeology, colonialism, the potential of AI, digital technologies, and the ever-blurring line between the self and the other. Taken in full, Like everything alive that we try to hold forever seeks to thread the complex reality of the human experience.
“The works here address our psychosocial relationships to materiality,” curators Elizabeth Diggon, Naomi Potter, and Shauna Thompson write in a statement. “Through a constellation of approaches, the exhibition draws parallels between…realities, presenting objects and avatars as channels that access the limits of human experience, push against it, or gesture toward a transhuman future.”
Like everything alive that we try to hold forever was originally presented in 2023 at Esker Foundation in Calgary, Canada, and is produced as a traveling exhibition by Independent Curators International (ICI). It was previously presented at the Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts and makes its New York City debut at Pratt Manhattan Gallery on 14th Street.
The full list of participating artists is Larry Achiampong & David Blandy (Brighton/London, United Kingdom); Diane Borsato (Guelph, Canada); Stephanie Dinkins (Brooklyn, NY); Bridget Moser (Toronto, Canada); Sondra Perry (Perth Amboy, NJ); and Miya Turnbull (Halifax, Canada).
Like everything alive that we try to hold forever is on view at Pratt Manhattan Gallery from September 25 through December 19, 2026. There will be a public reception on Thursday, September 24, from 6-8pm. Pratt Manhattan Gallery is located at 144 West 14th Street, New York, NY. The gallery is free and open to the public.
This exhibition is curated by Elizabeth Diggon, Naomi Potter, and Shauna Thompson. The exhibition is organized by Esker Foundation and produced as a traveling exhibition by Independent Curators International (ICI). ICI’s exhibitions program is made possible with the support of ICI’s Board of Trustees and the members of ICI’s International Forum.
Learn more at pratt.edu
