Raki Nikahetiya is the co-founder of sā Ladakh. sā meaning soil in Ladakhi language, is Asia’s highest ever contemporary land art group exhibition at 3600m, focusing on the theme of mountains, environment, culture and community. The first edition will take place at the Disko Valley in Leh, Ladakh from the 1-23 August 2023.
How do we engage with mountain landscapes, their elements, culture and communities?
What is a local identity and how does it evolve?
What are the environmental and climate challenges in high altitude regions and what significance do mountainous regions have for the planet in the 21st century?
How can we reflect on these topics through land art and installations?
What can we create with materials which are discarded, renewable or sustainable?
How can we engage the next generation in this creative process?
The initiative brings together contemporary Ladakhi, Indian and International artists as well as a collective of national and International organizations focusing on the topics of community, culture and environment to explore these questions through art installations, dialogues and artist and expert led workshops to children and adults. The Exhibition is supported by the Ladakh Media and Arts Organisation, Snapchat, Pluc.tv, Let Me Breathe, Royal Enfield, the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Embassies of Germany and Switzerland to India and Local Futures amongst other partners, the exhibition will be open for public.
‘For A Fifty Million Years’.
Ladakh, 2023
local soil, discarded materials and
rammed earth building methods
8 x 4 x 2 feet
"Our history has always been intertwined with the history of our landscapes. Over the last 50 million years the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates created this still-forming superstructure - the highest yet youngest mountain range on the planet. Building with visible layers from Ladakh’s soil prompts us to reflect on deep time, our landscapes, our origins, local identity, our (in)significance, and what we leave behind in the eons to come." Raki Nikahetiya
Find more information about the initiative at: www.saladakh.com or at www.instagram.com/saladakh/