“We believe art is one of the most vital forces for exploring ecological change and inspiring awareness,” says Ko Chen, Director of Henki Art. “Our mission is to place water at the center of contemporary art. Not as subject alone but as a lens for understanding history, culture, and human experience.”
Curated by Ana Catarina Bizarro, What the Water Knows brings together artists whose work reflects on the immediacy and complexity of water in the age of the climate crisis. Through photography, durational performance, and video, the artists record moments of vulnerability, transformation, and resilience.
Photographers Gaston Zilberman, Hashem Shakeri, Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, and Shunta Kimura document communities and environments shaped by floods, droughts, storms, and disappearing ecosystems. Rather than sensationalize climate disaster, their images reveal quieter, intimate encounters that illuminate the human condition. “Climate storytelling is for me one of the most powerful tools to not only create empathy and awareness but also bring change to the places that most need it,” says Zilberman.
Alongside these photographic works, artist Sarah Cameron Sunde contributes a seminal performance and video practice that explores endurance, impermanence, and the elemental bond between the human body and the sea. Her work expands the exhibition’s inquiry into how water shapes perception, time, and presence.
