Washington, D.C.-based artist Rik Freeman has been making waves for more than three decades, creating murals, paintings and public works that explore the intricacies of the African diaspora. Often, his works feature themes of water, which will be at the forefront of a new exhibition presented by the Phillips Collection—a space that was once the home of collector and philanthropist Duncan Phillips and now a collection of more than 6,000 works. On view through February 19, Rik Freeman: Wade in the Waters features large-scale artworks by Freeman that explore themes of “history, community, resilience, joy, and faith.” The exhibition is curated by Laylaa Randera, an artist, curator and arts leader in the D.C. area.
Rik Freeman, Wenceslau, 2020 from the BAHIA! series, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 in.
“She looked at my three primary series, The Chittlin Circuit Review, BAHIA!, Black Beaches During Segregation and the Down to Earth series, which I created during Covid, from an in-studio residency awarded by Capital Fringe in Washington, D.C.,” Freeman explains. “Laylaa noticed water flowing (pun intended) throughout several of the series. Black Beaches During Segregation, which was also an in-studio residency awarded by Honfleur Gallery in Washington, D.C., and Down to Earth, were the only series where I knew water would be the primary component or ‘character’ in the paintings.
Rik Freeman, Frutos do Mar, 2013, from the BAHIA! series, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 in.
“Yet in the series BAHIA!, which literally means ‘bay’ (how could you not include water?), Itaparica, an island across the bay from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, is where I did two residencies at Instituto Sacatar. I experienced how the water and bay are so relevant to the life and culture there, from fishermen going out early in the morning, as in Frutos do Mar, to Wenceslau, kneeling in a forest stream.”
During the exhibition, collectors can explore pieces like Frutos do Mar and Wenceslau, part of the BAHIA! series, as well as Wade In, part of the Black Beaches During Segregationseries. All measure 4 by 5 feet.
Rik Freeman, Wade In, 2024, from the Black Beaches During Segregation series, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 in.
“In my work and mindset, I view history more from the point of view of everyday people. My nexus, my beginnings, are rooted in the African American community of the late 1950s and 1960s,” Freeman reflects. “From there, I look at the individual and collective histories of life, not necessarily large ‘historical events,’ though those may come into consideration, but still seen from a communal aspect. In those observations and participations, I have witnessed and experienced the strength of community, resilience, joy and faith, and the depths of heartbreak, disappointment and betrayal of a larger system in power. In my artwork, I try to reflect that strength, that faith, many times quiet, that it takes to not only overcome, but to achieve beyond events and policies of strife.”
Rik Freeman, A Self-Reliant Community, 2021, oil on canvas, 48 x 72 in.
Rik Freeman: Wade in the Waters is currently on view at the Phillips Collection's off-site workshop and gallery space Phillips@THEARC. —
Rik Freeman: Wade in the Waters
Through February 19, 2026
Phillips@THEARC
1801 Mississippi Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C. 20020
www.phillipscollection.org
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