WALL OF THIRST
Official Selection at the 29th
Eduardo León Jimenes
Curated by: José Roca, Luis Graham Castillo & Suset Sánchez

"The wall of thirst, by Yermine Richardson, powerfully materializes the political dimension of water: a large wall covered with buckets used to carry water becomes a series of megaphones transmitting community stories, exposing the everyday difficulties surrounding access to this resource. Water thus ceases to function merely as a natural element and reveals itself instead as a contested common good."

- José Roca

Investigation: The Silent Crisis

In the Dominican Republic, water scarcity is a quiet, domestic struggle. While official metrics claim that 97% of the population has access to water, failing infrastructure leaves most urban households with an average of just 11 hours of water a day.

To survive this reality, families are forced to store water in open containers—often repurposed commercial paint buckets. Inadvertently, these exposed vessels become breeding grounds for dengue-carrying mosquitoes, turning a basic necessity into a severe public health hazard.

The Community Exchange

Recognizing this crisis, the Wall of Thirst project began not as a sculpture, but as a direct community intervention. We initiated an exchange program in the neighborhoods of La Aviación (La Romana) and Los Ciruelitos (Santiago), trading new, airtight water containers for the heavily worn, open buckets used by local residents.

This exchange addressed the immediate health risk while allowing the surrendered objects to become the foundational elements of the artwork.

Most of these surrendered objects were originally discarded commercial paint buckets repurposed for survival, a connection that subtly allowed painting to remain a foundational element of my artistic practice.

This sonic installation exposes our failure as a nation:

the inability to sustain a system that provides water effectively and consistently.

The surrendered vessels were subsequently assembled into a monumental 3.77 x 7.60-meter wall. Moving far beyond visual accumulation, the structure operates as an immersive sonic apparatus.

A built-in sound system utilizes the hollow cavities of the discarded plastic tanks and buckets as resonant chambers. Through them, the recorded testimonies of the local residents are broadcasted out to the public.

To fully grasp the audiovisual experience of this installation, press play:

This sonic installation exposes our failure as a nation:

the inability to sustain a system that provides water effectively and consistently. Constructed from hundreds of salvaged buckets, the work points directly to the thirst in our homes as the result of structural negligence and a direct assault on our lives.

"...that's no life. Living without water is not living. Trying to get a... a little bucket of water to bathe, to cook, to... that's no life. We want water, and water in abundance."

NOW SHOWING: Centro León Jimenes

Plan Your Visit

Location: Centro León Av. 27 de Febrero #146, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

Museum Hours:

Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Monday: Closed

Don't miss the chance to experience this incredible exhibition while CALJ 29 is still on display.

WALL OF THIRSTOfficial Selection at the 29th Eduardo León Jimenes Curated by: José Roca, Luis Graham Castillo & Suset Sánchez

"...that's no life. Living without water is not living. Trying to get a... a little bucket of water to bathe, to cook, to... that's no life. We want water, and water in abundance."

WALL OF THIRST
Official Selection at the 29th
Eduardo León Jimenes
Curated by: José Roca, Luis Graham Castillo & Suset Sánchez