ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Chelsea Manning's DNA Portraits Debut at Fridman Gallery

exhibition · 2026-05-05

Chelsea Manning, the controversial US Army whistleblower and transgender activist, is the subject of a new exhibition at Fridman Gallery in New York, opening August 2 through September 5, 2017. The show, titled 'A Becoming Resemblance,' is a collaboration with artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg, who reconstructed Manning's face from DNA samples sent during her imprisonment. Manning was released from prison on May 17, 2017, after serving seven years for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks. Her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama. The exhibition also includes 'Suppressed Images,' a series created with illustrator Shoili Kanungo, and is curated by Roddy Schrock. Dewey-Hagborg's work explores the intersection of art, science, and identity, using DNA to create 3D-printed portraits that challenge notions of visibility and surveillance.

Key facts

  • Exhibition 'A Becoming Resemblance' runs August 2–September 5, 2017 at Fridman Gallery, New York.
  • Chelsea Manning collaborated with artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg on DNA-based portraits.
  • Manning was released from prison on May 17, 2017 after her sentence was commuted by Barack Obama.
  • She was convicted under the Espionage Act for leaking documents to WikiLeaks.
  • The show includes 'Suppressed Images' with illustrator Shoili Kanungo.
  • Roddy Schrock curated the exhibition.
  • Dewey-Hagborg used saliva and hair samples from Manning to create 3D facial reconstructions.
  • Manning's transgender identity and harsh prison conditions are part of the story.

Entities

Artists

  • Chelsea Manning
  • Heather Dewey-Hagborg
  • Shoili Kanungo

Institutions

  • Fridman Gallery
  • WikiLeaks
  • Pentagon
  • Reuters

Locations

  • New York
  • United States
  • Iraq
  • Afghanistan
  • Guantanamo
  • Baghdad
  • Crescent
  • Philadelphia

Sources