Tali Keren
Artist in residence at ASU Water Institute
Tali Keren is a multidisciplinary artist and educator whose work spans moving image, performance and research-based practice. As the inaugural artist in residence at ASU’s Water Institute, she will collaborate with faculty, scientists, and community partners to explore how water infrastructure shapes ecological futures and climate resilience. Her work is grounded in translating complex scientific research and policy debates about water into accessible storytelling and poetic visual language.
Water/Power
As part of the residency, Keren is developing Water/Power. This multi-chapter documentary and installation project traces how water moves through landscapes, infrastructures, legal systems and imaginaries, both in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and globally.
The first chapter, Delta/Desal: A border ecology, focuses on Colorado River surface water. It will closely examine the relationship between the dormant Yuma Desalting Plant in Arizona and the Ciénega de Santa Clara, a 40,000-acre wetland in Mexico’s Colorado River Delta that has become a critical habitat for migratory birds. This case study will illuminate how decisions about water allocation and infrastructure can reverberate across borders, communities and ecologies.
The second chapter of the project turns to questions about growth in the greater Phoenix region, and groundwater management in the Phoenix Active Management Area. Ultimately, the residency program places emphasis on the research and development phase of artistic work.
Program sponsorship
The artist in residence program is funded by the Leonardo-ASU Planetary Health Research Seed Grant and the Humanities Institute Seed Grant, with support from Upmanu Lall, director of the Water Institute.
The project is curated by Chelsea Haines, an art historian with the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. It will culminate in exhibitions at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson, as well as educational and community-oriented engagements.
Events and media
Artist talk: Tali Keren
In March 2026, Keren presented an artist talk on her research-driven practice and shared a first look into Delta/Desal: A border ecology, a cinematic installation exploring the environmental and political dimensions of desalination and water infrastructure in border regions.
Water/Power
Take a deep dive into Water/Power, Keren’s primary project as artist in residence. Showcasing the political, ecological and infrastructural forces shaping our water systems, this gallery and portfolio highlights the project through video stills, installations and other documentation.
Critical Currents: Art at the edge of war and water
This event brings together research-driven art projects focused on environmental futures and emerging technologies. The most recent event featured work from Zeina Barakeh and excerpts from a collaborative project on water development and speculative infrastructure.