Water, a sanctuary for all humanity

Lives are being put at risk for smartphones and electric cars: The indigenous communities of Red Atacama from Las Salinas Grandes in northern Argentina are fighting against lithium mining, which is dramatically disrupting the region’s vital water cycles. Together with members of these communities, Argentine artist Tomás Saraceno (*1973) developed, among other things, his research projects Aerocene and Arachnophilia. They challenge the existing distribution of social and economic power in order to protect the planet and the lives of countless people. Insights into the artist’s work are now on view at the Haus der Kunst: Tomás Saraceno. Ancestral Futures runs from July 17, 2026, to February 7, 2027, in Munich.

The artwork The Sanctuary of Water (images below) in the Salinas Grandes is arranged around a circular basin that reflects the sky and is surrounded by circles of light and reflections. It consists of five »apachetas« (actually a type of stone altar). They are made of salt, range in diameter from two to 24 meters, and are up to twelve meters high. Some of them feature viewing platforms accessible via stairs. The project emerged from a dialogue with local communities and is owned and managed by them as a site for sustainable tourism, serving as a reminder of equitable life cycles and water cycles.

Tomás Saraceno is from Argentina and lives in Berlin. With his projects spanning art, architecture, and science, he creates eco-social platforms that promote the urgently needed sustainable way of life. Saraceno has exhibited internationally at renowned institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, and the Serpentine Galleries in London.