By the Skin of Our Teeth presents scenes of difficulty, if not disaster, and the objects left behind as records of bare survival. Inspired by a popular American idiom and biblical reference, the title of the exhibition calls attention to both human frailty and fortitude. Formulating a critique of the power over life, the works on display confront the pervasiveness of a destructive politics that molds landscapes into realms where personhood is stripped away and existence is reduced to mere survival. Depicting a kind of living against the odds, Praska’s oeuvre represents the volatility of the present amidst dire circumstances, calling into question the meaning and security of home, nature, and nurture. 

Through a series of large-scale oil canvases, Praska’s works appear disconcertingly calm. The objects in sight become records of life: a rundown red Bronco, an old gray muffler, a still excavator. The rough outlines of the hand-made oil sticks and the gritty texture of the repurposed canvases emphasize the uncanniness of the surroundings: off-the-grid forests, an isolated trailer, vacant faces. These spaces, both as homely sites and as hostile spaces to endure, confront viewers in an eye-to-eye meeting with the present. Why now? Why here?

www.nathanielcpraska.com