December 2026
UNKNOWN
A benefit exhibition at Wave Collective
About the showUnknown is a benefit exhibition exploring what it means to live alongside what we cannot see, predict, or control. Anchored in the experience of chronic and terminal illness, the show reaches into the wider unknowing we all carry; about mortality, about losing people we love, and about the vastness of what we don't and can't know.
The show was conceived by artist Krisi Johnson, who was diagnosed last year with mitochondrial myopathy (POLG variant), the same rare disease that took her father's life ten years ago. Krisi co-created the show with fellow Bay Area artists Rodrick Daniels and Grace Buchholz. For Grace, the vision is also deeply personal, as her mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's four years ago.
Proceeds will be split between the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation and the Alzheimer's Association.
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Mitochondrial diseases are a group of genetic disorders in which the cells' energy producers fail, causing progressive, often multi-system illness affecting muscles, brain, heart, and organs. They can appear at any age and vary widely in severity. There is no universal cure, and families face complex medical needs, mounting costs, and uncertain futures. UMDF funds research toward treatments and cures, expands access to specialized care and genetic testing, and provides resources and community for patients and caregivers.
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Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disease that destroys memory, thinking, and eventually the ability to carry out daily life. While most common after 65, early-onset forms can strike people in their 40s and 50s. There is no cure, and families often navigate years of caregiving, mounting costs, and the slow loss of someone still present. The Alzheimer's Association funds research toward treatment and prevention, provides free care and support services for patients and caregivers, and advocates for the needs of millions of families facing the disease.