Leh (Ladakh) [India], June 10 (ANI): Asia’s highest-ever contemporary land art group exhibition, titled “sa,” at an astounding altitude of 3,600 m, will launch from June 1-10 at Disko Valley Bike Park in Leh, Ladakh.
According to the German Embassy in Delhi, “The artist-led exhibition titled “sa” focuses on the intersection of environment, culture and community in high-altitude environments.”
sa meaning soil in Ladakhi, is a pioneering and immersive public art initiative, bringing together artists, organisations, the youth and communities from the Himalayan region, wider India and abroad in Leh, Ladakh, India.
All sa activities are based around the theme of “climate optimism.” 
The first edition took place in August 2023 and received wide national and global recognition, selected as one of the leading exhibitions worldwide, bringing together the cultural and the natural world, where the organisers aim to create a wider and more mindful art community.
sa edition two in 2024, with the title “The Future of Immersive Land Art/Immersive Land Art and the Future”, aims to increase the impact through a renewed and enhanced selection of site-specific art installations and sculptures using local discarded, renewable or reusable materials, school outreach, and artist film screenings curated by the Dharamshala International Film Festival and for the first time: immersive contemporary performance.
It was selected as one of the 19 projects worldwide to be supported by the European Union National Institutes for Culture 2024.
This year’s edition will again focus on artists from Ladakh as well as further afield, such as Manisha Gera Baswani, Kunzes Angmo, Tsetan Angmo, Zarina Parveen, Kundan Gyatso, Stanzin Tsepel, Tsering Youdol, Urgain Zawa, Li Actuallee, Viola Bordon, Doyel Joshi, Neil Ghose Basler, Omaggio Performing Company, Margherita Moscardini, Raghav and Ansh Kumar, Angelina Kumar, Ramon De Marco, Ikshit Pande, Jasmeet Dhillon and Laurent Ziegler.
Through a unique collaboration with the Austrian public arts institution, the Museum in progress, a series of works by international artists such as Minerva Cuevas, Shilpa Gupta, Samson Kambalu, Agnieszka Kurant, Christian Robert-Tissot, Eva Schlegel, Grazia Toderi and Erwin Wurm will be shown at the exhibition.
For the first time, with the support of Royal Enfield, there is an Artist Residency dedicated to textile art.
Working with fibres and textiles from the region, the Residency encourages a textile artist to collaborate with a textile practitioner from Ladakh and bring into focus the materiality of the region.
Monisha Ahmed, founder of the Ladakh Arts and Media Organisation (LAMO), said, “It is exciting to see the second edition of sa take place in Ladakh. This comes at a crucial time in the region, as dialogue around land and environment and its focus on community and culture is growing. Through sa we bring into focus art practices from Ladakh and their relevance to this wider discussion.”
The initiative was founded by Ladakhi rock climbing pioneer Tenzing ‘Jammy’ Jamyang, Austrian-Sri Lankan interdisciplinary artist Raki Nikahetiya and Indian spatial Designer Sagardeep Singh.
Raki Nikahetiya expressed their vision, stating, “sa is an ongoing proof of concept, with an attempt to mindfully create art with the limited resources at hand, raising awareness on climate optimism, while providing value for the community, the next generation and understanding the carrying capacity of a region – we are continuously learning together.”
“Building up from the first edition, we would like to engage and inspire communities in Ladakh but also wider India and overseas, especially digitally through a mindful interdisciplinary and transboundary approach to land art,” he said.
The initiative is in association with Ladakh Arts and Media Organisation (LAMO), Disko Valley Bike Park, Local Futures, The Crashpad, Black Sheep Media House, and Pluc.TV with support from the European Union National Institutes of Culture, Royal Enfield, German Embassy New Delhi, Austrian Embassy and the Austrian Cultural Forum New Delhi, Alliance Francaise New Delhi, The Italian Cultural Centre New Delhi, Swiss Embassy and Pro Helvetia New Delhi and Dhoomimal Gallery, Tsas by Dhokar as part of a transboundary dialogue. (ANI)
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