Water Futures exhibit and talks: Jan 8-25
On Thursday, January 8, 2026, Greg Niemeyer warmly invites you to the opening of Water Futures, an interactive art exhibition he has been working on for several years in collaboration with many remarkable participants and the Hydrocolonialism Institute.
Originally developed in Detroit, Michigan, Water Futures now opens at San Francisco’s newest gallery, tiat.place (151 Powell Street). Tickets for the opening night are available here: Water Futures Opening
The exhibition brings together artists and researchers* from Kenya, Oaxaca, Detroit, and San Francisco, each engaging with distinct, but deeply connected, water challenges. In San Francisco, we face a paradox:
- Too much water, as sea-level rise drives the construction of new seawalls
- Too little water, leading to continued reliance on drinking water extraction from Hetch Hetchy Valley
Each location represented in the show faces different threats to safe and just access to water. Taken together, the exhibition reveals not only the scale of these challenges, but also the possibility of collective, imaginative solutions.
Across all places, one truth remains constant: the water within us makes our life possible. We are water creatures, and all known life depends on water. Water Futures explores how artists can help us feel, think, and act differently: celebrating water’s power and inspiring more just and sustainable futures.
Events (Jan 8–25, 2026)
The exhibition runs January 8–25, 2026, with three public events:
Thursday, Jan 8 | 6:00–9:00 PM
Water Futures Opening Night
Registration
Guided tour with Greg Niemeyer and Ash Herr
Special music performance by Briana Marela
Thursday, Jan 15 | 6:00–7:30 PM
Water Futures: Flood Zone
Registration
Talk with Port of San Francisco Urban Planner Luiz Barata
Sunday, Jan 25 | 2:00–4:00 PM
Water as Universal Currency: Power, Memory, and Our Shared Future
Registration
Closing talk by Greg Niemeyer
Water Futures includes art and research by:
- Tiah Ross Butner
- Matt Caren
- Jorgie Cowan
- Anaya Crouch
- Chelle Gentemann
- Heloise Garry
- Isabel Hofmeyr
- Mercy Mueni Kamau
- Asma Kazmi
- Jiabao Li
- Colleen Linn
- Liza + Toshi
- Briana Marela
- Andrew Maske
- Megan McCullen
- Perrin Meyer, Meyer Sound
- Hila Mor
- Ani Moskovyan
- Greg Niemeyer (Co-Founder, Hydrocolonialism Institute)
- Patrick Owuor (Co-Founder, Hydrocolonialism Institute)
- Sawyer Pollard
- Vivien Slagle
- Sin Sombras (Pseudonym)
- Koh Terai
- UC Berkeley "Visualizing Water Futures in California" course, Fall 2025
- We the People of Detroit Community Research Collective
- KJ Wu
- and others TBA.
For more information, please contact Greg Niemeyer or Ani Moskovyan directly.
Image: Greg Niemeyer and Chelle Gentemann, Black is More Rain, White is Less, Blue is Unchanged (Rain Trend Map, 1975 to 2025, based on ERA5 data)