Pratt Manhattan Gallery’s current exhibition, There Is a Certain Slant of Light, highlights a group of 14 talented and diverse Pratt Institute alums, all of whom earned an MFA in Fine Arts between 2018 and 2022. The title of the show — borrowed from Emily Dickinson’s poem “There’s a certain Slant of light” — sets the tone for an exploration of light’s significance and served as a rubric for curator Seph Rodney while thinking through the work of 142 MFA graduates.

While Rodney recognizes that interpretations of Dickinson’s poem often rely on abstract notions of despair or religious sentiment, the artworks in this exhibition defy these interpretations, aiming to showcase a sense of buoyant inquiry and insight. Examining the poetic use of light in painting, photography, and multimedia artworks, viewers are encouraged to appreciate the meaning and significance of light and to allow luminescence into their lives.

Many of the artworks in the exhibition are monochromatic, amplifying the quiet assertiveness of the poem. They intend to evoke a range of emotions, such as sorrow, wistfulness, and even despondence, and also reveal their makers’ deep sensitivity to the world. Artists like Erik Wangsvick, Weijia Lizzy Li, Naomi Frank, and Samantha Morris pay close attention to the interplay, whimsy, and weight of light, capturing its essence in their respective mediums.

In a curatorial statement, Rodney acknowledges the troubled state of the nation characterized by superficial popular culture, myopic politics, and frequent acts of violence.

Notwithstanding these limitations, there are aspects of our culture from which I can draw meaning and fulfillment. Despite what Dickinson describes as an “imperial affliction / Sent us of the Air”, we daily find sources of light and life, reasons to rise and make a poem, an art exhibition, a good and sustaining meal — all means to stave off death, both spiritual and physical demise.

Seph Rodney, curator of There Is a Certain Slant of Light

There Is a Certain Slant of Light remains on view through September 6 at Pratt Manhattan Gallery in New York City.

For more information, visit pratt.edu.