Water in the Gas
Collaborative exhibit at the Kreeger Museum.
Through August 23, 2025, The Kreeger Museum and Hamiltonian Artists are presenting Water in the Gas, an exhibition featuring the work of 2022-2024 Hamiltonian alumni Misha Ilin, Madyha J. Leghari, Edgar Reyes, and Isabella Whitfield.
The title for the exhibition comes from Jean Dubuffet’s 1961 painting, Water In The Gas (L'eau dans le gaz), which lives in The Kreeger Museum’s permanent collection. It is said that the French phrase can be traced back to the early 20th century, when households used coal gas for electricity. High concentrations of water vapor would create obstructions in the pipes, resulting in pressure and creating small explosions. The expression is used when tension is rising in the atmosphere, or an argument is brewing.
In the same vein, this exhibition calls us to consider the ways in which socio-political pressures give rise to generational implications. WATER IN THE GAS places artists living and working in what is widely considered to be an unprecedented moment in US history, in conversation with artists whose lives and careers were impacted by some of the most defining power struggles of the 20th century.
Situated in the tumultuous geopolitical climate of 1934-1965, selected works from The Kreeger Museum’s permanent collection reflect themes of citizenship, censorship, industry, labor, and sovereignty. The paintings and sculpture range from Josef Albers’ geometric abstraction, to Max Beckmann’s representational work of children playing. Other featured artists include Fernand Léger, Joan Mitchell, David Park, and David Smith.
Drawing upon current events and rising temperatures in the United States’ socio-political climate, Hamiltonian alumni point to what might be left behind for generations Z and Alpha—from fenced borders, radioactive rays, and class disparity to four-leaf clovers, indigenous relics, and obstetric illustrations etched in salt stone. Their contributed works move across sculpture, photo, textile, and installation.
This exhibition is curated by Anisa Olufemi, Director of Programs and Curator at Hamiltonian Artists, and presented under The Collaborative, a program developed by The Kreeger Museum in 2021 to support Washington-area artists.
The Kreeger Museum is located at 2401 Foxhall Road NW
