South Asia’s highest contemporary land art exhibition in Ladakh is back

Situated at an elevation of 3,600 metres, the exhibition, sā, meaning soil in Ladakhi, is South Asia’s highest-ever contemporary land art group exhibition.

Founded out of a passion for landscapes, the environment and communities, sā aims to engage people from all walks of life, particularly young adults and the next generation, who are seen as future custodians of the land. The exhibition’s core values are centred on the principles of climate optimism.

The first edition of sā Ladakh, held in August 2023, saw artists from Ladakh, wider India and around the world gather at Disko Valley to interact with the serene, fragile and vast Ladakhi landscape.

The exhibition, rooted in love for the environment and community engagement, aims to inspire climate optimism and foster a deeper connection to the land in the new edition too. The 2024 edition, which began on 1 June, continues this spirit and will be open for public viewing from June 6 to 10 at the Disko Valley Bike Park.

For the second edition, sā invited artists through an open call to submit their proposals on the theme ‘The Future of Immersive Land Art/Immersive Land Art and the Future.’ The selected artists for this year’s festival include Kunzes Angmo, Tsetan Angmo, Zarina Parveen, Kundan Gyatso, Stanzin Tsepel, Tsering Youdol and Urgain Zawa from Ladakh. Viola Borden, Doyel Joshi, Neil Ghose Basler, Ansh Kumar, Angelina Kumar, Ramon de Marco and Laurent Ziegler, among others, have been picked from across the world and the rest of India.

The exhibition is curated by Tenzing Jamyang, a pioneering Ladakhi rock climber, alongside interdisciplinary artist Raki Nikahetiya and spatial designer Sagardeep Singh. This year’s sā Ladakh will showcase site-specific sculptures and art installations crafted from locally sourced renewable, discarded and reusable materials, with active involvement from the local community.

In collaboration with sā Ladakh and the Ladakh Arts & Media Organisation (LAMO), Royal Enfield has initiated a residency programme where a textile artist will develop a climate-conscious, textile-based land art project using traditional weaving practices of local communities in Ladakh. This initiative also welcomes the Omaggio Performing Company, an interdisciplinary performance group based in Goa, focusing on contemporary dance, aerial arts and physical theatre.

Their performance will revolve around the process of textile production in Ladakh, from livestock care and fibre harvesting to weaving woollen cloth. Omaggio will also conduct workshops with local performers and musicians to develop the final piece, culminating in a collaborative performance involving Ladakhi and Omaggio performers.