Opening Reception | Pratt Shows: MFA Thesis Exhibition, Part 2: Ghost Light
April 27, 2026 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Dock72, Brooklyn Navy Yard, 1 Dock 72 Way, Brooklyn, NY 11205
Registration is required to attend the Opening Reception and to visit during gallery hours.
The exhibition Ghost Light takes its name from the long-standing tradition of leaving a single glowing lightbulb on a portable stand when a theater is unoccupied at night. Beyond their practical role in preventing accidents in an otherwise dark theater, ghost lights serve a secondary purpose. According to theater superstition, they are believed to either appease or ward off mischievous spirits that dwell and haunt theatrical spaces. In these dual associations, a ghost light functions as a symbolic, protective presence.
Within this metaphorical framework, the exhibition considers artistic practices that trace the ways in which memories and histories dwell and haunt architectural spaces and landscapes, alongside artists interested in fantasy and world-building. Among the sixteen artists, some draw from archives or historical events to engage with architecture, tracing how walls, floors, façades, and domestic spaces hold meaning. Others turn to ecological sites to trace the aftermath of destruction or reflect on personal memories and feelings of displacement. This exhibition invites visitors to sense their own ghost lights as a metaphorical thread to understand what remains, persists, and haunts the resonant spaces we inhabit.
Exhibiting artists: Julie Jewon Huh, Jay Guo, malu laet, Yongxi (Vivian) Lin, Minjee, Marie Moeller, Jessi Olarsch, Caroline O’Grady, Morgan O’Connell, Sefa Ozdogan, Hannah Law, Tanvi Shaha, Ry Watkins, Rainy Yuchen Wei, Nessa Yang, and Zheming (Jennings) Yang
MFA Thesis Exhibition, Part 2
Curated by Alessandra Gómez
Opening: Monday, April 27th, 6 – 8pm
Exhibition Dates: April 27th – May 8th
Alessandra Gómez is an interdisciplinary curator and writer based in New York. For over a decade, she has led artistic programs and developed more than seventy-five commissions spanning visual art, dance, theater, performance, and music. Her curatorial practice centers on large-scale, cross-disciplinary projects that bridge institutional and commercial contexts.
She is currently the consultant Public Art Curator at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and is the Head Art Curator at the Wythe Hotel, where she oversees acquisitions and directs the hotel’s art programming. Gómez is also part of the curatorial collective behind Offerings, an experimental performance series held at St. Mary the Virgin Church in the heart of Times Square. In addition, she consults for the Democracy Cycle program at the Perelman Performing Arts Center.
Previously, Gómez was a curator for Luna Luna, a revived art amusement park originally created by André Heller in 1987. From 2018 to 2023, she was part of the Shed’s founding curatorial team, organizing exhibitions and performances by Shayne Oliver and Anonymous Club, Maxwell Alexandre, and commissions as part of the Open Call program. She has guest curated projects for Nike, Queens Museum, Columbia University, Center for Performance Research (CPR), and Knockdown Center, among others.
Gómez has served on numerous visual and performing arts grant panels and has contributed writing to artist catalogues and online publications. She holds an MA from Columbia University and a dual degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Pratt Shows is a series of public exhibitions and presentations by Pratt Institute’s graduating students in 30+ different fields, now through May.
Access to Pratt Programs and Activities
Pratt strives to make all programs, services, and activities accessible, and will provide assistance to accommodate any individuals with disabilities. Security personnel, located at booths at 200 Willoughby Avenue and other campus locations, are available for assistance. Additional accessibility resources are available at www.pratt.edu/accessibility.