26 June 2025 – 1 February 2026
Free
Press preview: 25 June 2025, 10:00 – 12:00
Thirst: In Search of Freshwater
Wellcome Collection presents Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, a free major exhibition exploring humanity’s vital connection with freshwater as an essential source of life and a pillar of good health for both living beings and land masses.
Spanning times and cultures, from ancient Mesopotamia to Victorian London, and extending to modern-day Nepal and Singapore, the exhibition will bring together art, science, history, technology and Indigenous knowledge from communities past and present, offering a comprehensive understanding of the environmental, social and cultural relationships we have with freshwater.
Featuring over 125 objects, including contemporary artworks, historical artefacts, meteorological records, new discovery research and materials from Wellcome’s collection, Thirst will take visitors on a journey through five distinct conditions: Aridity, Rain, Glaciers, Surface Water and Groundwater. Each section will highlight the profound impact that access to freshwater has on the health of individuals, communities and ecosystems, and explore its life-affirming, regenerative and healing nature. They will also address the consequences of water’s mismanagement around the world, from the spread of infectious diseases to exacerbating the effects of climate change. Alongside these urgent challenges, the exhibition will share moments of hope and joy through stories of resilience and innovation, showcasing community-driven, regenerative solutions to the global water crises.
The exhibition will feature new and recent works by Gideon Mendel, Chloe Dewe Mathews, Anthony Acciavatti,Susan Schuppli, Adib Dada, M’hammed Kilito and Adam Rouhana; along with new commissions by Raqs Media Collective, Karan Shrestha and Feifei Zhou and Zahirah Suhaimi (SEACoast).
Thirst will open with ‘Aridity’, a section exploring the landscapes characterised by high temperatures, low rainfall and, in some cases, extreme drought. Visitors will discover how water scarcity has been both a source of conflict and a symbol of survival. One of the oldest objects on display will be a cuneiform inscription tablet of the ancient Sumerian poem, Gilgamesh and Aga (1900-1600 CE), which recounts the story of the first war over water in ancient Mesopotamia. Displayed nearby, M’hammed Kilito’s photographic project, ‘Before It Is Gone’ (2020-ongoing), documents the degradation of Moroccan oases, emphasising the devastating impacts of human intervention and desertification, whilst highlighting local efforts to preserve this refuge for biodiversity. A new commission by Raqs Media Collective, ‘Thirst/Trishna’ (2025), presents a multi-channel installation that will explore the paradox of the absence and unpredictability of water and the perpetual desire for it, linking the experience of descending into the ancient stepwells of Rajasthan, India, to the present-day challenge of water scarcity.
The section dedicated to ‘Rain’ will examine the seasonal arrival of water, which brings both resilience and relief. Adam Rouhana’s photograph, ‘Ein Auoja’ (2022) chronicles the joy and resistance embodied by communities experiencing seasonal rainfall in the West Bank, while nearby collected herbal specimens by Lora Aziz and the young Bedouins of St Catherine, point to the unusual amount of rainfall that took place in the Sinai Peninsula during the pandemic, uncovering the medicinal use of local plants to combat COVID-19. Gideon Mendel’s video installation, ‘Deluge’ (2007-2024), documents experiences of flooding across the globe over two decades, showcasing the resilience of individuals affected by rising waters and the collective experience of loss.
While only three percent of the Earth’s entire water supply is freshwater, almost two thirds of this is locked in frozen ice caps. The ‘Glaciers’ section will explore the fragility of this disappearing resource, acknowledging the different ecosystems and livelihoods that depend on it. Susan Schuppli’s audio installation, ‘Ice Records’ (2021), connects the reality of receding glaciers with the emotional impact on the communities that rely on glacial meltwater. A newly commissioned installation by Karan Shrestha will examine how both glacial melting in Nepal and ineffective infrastructures lead to fatal flooding and landslides, contributing to the ongoing dengue epidemic and the forced displacement of humans and animals. Shrestha highlights the interconnected nature of water and health by weaving together Indigenous knowledge and the work of Wellcome-funded public health initiatives such as the World Mosquito Program and the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2).
The ‘Surface Water’ section will feature stories of freshwater in naturally occurring rivers and human-made water systems on land, which sustain communities and ecosystems. It will feature the ‘Eden in Iraq’ project, led by Nature Iraq, which offers a hopeful narrative in the face of water mismanagement, showcasing a wastewater garden that integrates traditional Mesopotamian knowledge systems with modern solutions to treat polluted water. ‘Surface Water’ will further feature a new interactive digital work by Feifei Zhou and Zahirah Suhaimi (SEACoast), exploring ecological and cultural dynamics in the Johor Straits, a narrow waterway between Singapore and Malaysia, shaped by rising sea levels and human intervention.
‘Groundwater’, the exhibition’s final section, will delve into the most critical, yet least visible, sources of water that sustain modern life, agriculture and urban environments. Anthony Acciavatti’s ‘Groundwater Earth’ (2024) reveals the devastating geological consequences of colonial water extraction technologies, while The Black Mary Well project, led by Gaylene Gould, pays tribute to Mary Woolaston, a Black woman who ran a healing well on King’s Cross Road in the 17th century. The exhibition will conclude with a second new commission by Raqs Media Collective titled ‘Sometimes farther than the sun’ (2025), which speculates on the future of water mining in space through augmented reality.
The exhibition’s design will experiment with innovative and bioregenerative materials, including building boards made of wetland reed fibres, hemp, straw and ceramics made of locally sourced London clay. Developed in collaboration with studios Material Cultures and Wolfe Hall, the design reimagines temporary structures and waste in museums without compromising on conservation needs.
Thirst: In Search of Freshwater is a free exhibition curated by Janice Li, Wellcome Collection curator. It will run from 26 June 2025 to 1 February 2026, and will be accompanied by a programme of events. A symposium exploring the key themes of the exhibition and featuring artists, activists and researchers will be held at Wellcome Collection in September 2025. An accompanying publication, ‘Thirst: In Search of Freshwater’, will include a foreword by Robert Macfarlane with contributions from Elif Shafak, Vandana Shiva, Rebecca Solnit and Ocean Vuong, celebrating myths and memories that flow through this vital resource.
Notes to editors
For further information and image requests, please contact:
Sarah SandallMedia Manager
Visitor Information
- ‘Thirst: In Search of Freshwater’ runs from 26 June 2025 – 1 February 2026
- Admission is free.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00, Thursdays from 10:00 to 20:00, closed Mondays.
- Address: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE.
Publication
‘Thirst: In Search of Freshwater’ will be accompanied by a new publication, featuring a foreword by Robert Macfarlane with texts by Natalie Diaz, Rebecca Solnit, Elif Shafak, Vandana Shiva, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Lora Aziz, Ocean Vuong, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Jessica J Lee, Joycelyn Longdon, Raqs Media Collective, Georges Perec, Yasmine Hafez, Anthony Acciavatti, Karan Shrestha, Gaylene Gould, Lucille Clifton, Lucy Jones and Rumi.
Access Information
- Step-free access is available to all floors of the building.
- Large-print guides and magnifiers are available in the gallery.
- Ear defenders, tinted glasses, tinted visors and weighted lap pads are available on request.
- A digital highlights tour will be available with audio described and British Sign Language tours of the exhibition.
- All exhibition texts are accessible in screen readable formats via QR codes. A tactile floor line can be used to follow the digital tour’s route.
- A Visual Story is available to help you plan and prepare for your visit.
- Wellcome Collection will provide relaxed openings and accessible tours during the exhibition run, which will be bookable online.