Review / Preview

SEASON’S GREETINGS to our friends, collaborators, partners, alumni, accomplices, visitors/readers and all interested parties.
We wish you some peaceful days with your loved ones and a happy New Year. Let’s hope for less chaos and disasters and a positive change towards a better world.
There are also some changes coming to the Institute and the Biennale.

REVIEW 2024:
In January, ILEA researcher Dominik Landwehr published an essay in the journal “Schweizerisches Archiv für Volkskunde” on the ongoing research project “Safientaler Gespräche”.
Also in January the last part of the indo-swiss exchange program EAE (Environmental Art Exchange, funded by Pro Helvetia) took place in Goa with a residency of the ILEA alumni artist duo Badel/Sarbach.
End of March closed the exhibition “Grass Stories” by Dharmendra Prasad at ILEA Gallery at Berghotel Alpenblick in Tenna.
In June the transdisciplinary artistic research project “River Landscapes”, of which ILEA is part of, was kicked off at the Zurich Art Weekend with performances and talks. Funded by Pro Helvetia Synergies Grant, this 2 yearlong research project creates a new glossary which acknowledges rivers as landscapes shared by many species and cultures.
Also in June we had to say goodbye to alumni Ben Vautier (18.7.1935 – 5.6.2024).
In July the 5th Art Safiental Biennale kicked off under the title “What if? Songs from Tomorrowlands“, and run until Oct 20. 15 productions by artists from 12 nations took a critical look at possible futures and our world in transition. For the first time, four co-curators were responsible for the biennial. In addition to the founder and artistic director Johannes M. Hedinger, these were Anne-Laure Franchette, Josiane Imhasly and Joanna Lesnierowska. During the opening (5.-7.7.) and on three days in July, Aug and Sept several temporary performances took place in the valley.
Thanks to the continuing cooperation with Pro Helvetia Delhi we were able to host again two artists from India in the ILEA Residency in Tenna: Farah Mulla (June-July) and Sujit Mallik (July-Aug). Both were also included in the Art Safiental Biennale. Farah Mullah also represented ILEA in a group show at Cularta in Laax.
Due to insufficient funding, this year’s Alps Art Academy and symposium unfortunately had to be canceled. However, it was possible to include most of the invited experts in the enlarged publication ILEA Book 2: “What if? Letters to the future” (Vexer Verlag), which was presented at the finissage of the Biennale.
In October ILEA was invited for the Conference „Land Art Lives“ in Lelystad NL (Oct 3/4).
End of October the exhibition “Spatial Solidarities” by Studio Other Spaces closed at the Gelbes Haus in Flims, where ILEA was represented with the ongoing eco-acoustic artistic research project ACLA by Marcus Maeder.
In November ILEA Book 2: “What if? Letters to the future” was officially launched in the frame of the Futurological Congress (Nov 29/30) at Löwenbräukunst Zürich with a performative reading by Ishita Chakraborty.
In December, another book presentation and reading took place at the Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK, together with a lecture on art in the periphery.

PREVIEW 2025:
As of 1 January 2025, the sponsorship of Art Safiental Biennale and Alps Art Academy will be handed over from the Beverin Nature Park (in cooperation with the municipality of Safiental and Safiental Tourism) to the newly founded association (Verein) “Art Safiental”. Johannes M. Hedinger, director of both, the Biennale and the Academy for around 10 years, will leave the two initiatives he founded at the end of 2024. From 2025 he will focus on leading the ILEA (Institute for Land and Environmental Art) research center, which is moving to Zurich after 5 years based in Tenna. Both the ILEA Institute and the new Art Safiental association will realign themselves in the coming months and provide information when the time comes. Official communiqué: https://ilea.art/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/offizielles-communique-AS-ILEA-8.24.pdf
What is already lined up:
On Jan 24 6pm there will be another book launch for the ILEA Book2 (What if? Letters to the future) with readings at Vexer Publisher in Berlin.
In February ILEA is attending with the research project “River Landscape” att a conference at the Science Gallery in Bengaluru in India.
And for early summer and fall ILEA is planning two symposia.
Details will be shared in the next newsletter, on our website www.ilea.art and on our instagram channel.
Here’s to new ideas, shared moments, and exciting collaborations in 2025! We are looking forward to reconnect and wishing you a hopeful start to the New Year.

Book presentations ZHdK

We would like to invite you to the book presentations:
WHAT IF? LETTERS TO THE FUTURE (Vexer Publisher, 2024)
With aperitif and readings from our authors Hayat Erdogan, Damian Christinger and Johannes M. Hedinger

Thu Dec 5, 17-19.00
ZHdK Zurich University of the Arts, Room 4.T09
Toni Areal, Pfingstweidstr. 96, 8005 Zürich

The previous ILEA publications are also available:
– Learning from the Earth (2023)
– Mass Movements (2021)
– Landscape #1 (2020)
All in cooperation with the art book publisher
Vexer Verlag St.Gallen/Berlin

Futorological Congress

Successful launch of the new ILEA Publication at the Futurological Congress (Futures of Care) Nov 29./30. at Löwenbräukunst Zürich, organized by Julieta Aranda, Mareike Dittmer and Martina Huber/AIA; with a performative reading by one of our authors: Ishita Chakraborty.
Further contributions by Adnan Hadzi, Athina Maria, Ethel Baranoa Pohl, Giulia Bini, Ingo Niermann, ulieta Aranda, Lucia Pietroiusti, Mareike Dittmer, Martina Huber, Maya Minder, Mónica Bello, Nikita Dhawan, Radical Care Initiative, Ren Britton, Taskforce 2123, Uriel Orlow and many others.
E-Flux Recordings will be available from Dec 10th. Link for registration.

The new ILEA Book is out

Fresh from the printers: we are pleased to present you the latest ILEA book:

WHAT IF? Letter to the Future.
(ILEA Book 2, 204 pages. DE/EN; ISBN: 978-3-907112-87-8, CHF 20.-)
available via Vexer Verlag St.Gallen / Berlin

What if? – Freedom of thought and the power of renewal begin with this simple question. The letters to the future collected here are not prophecies but reflect a world in upheaval between hope and horror, transformation and speculation, they are also full of enthusiasm for the future. These ideas and thoughts from visionary people who call on us to use our mind and creativity to create a livable and sustainable future for everyone.

Essays: Ravi Agarwal, Annemarie Bucher, Ishita Chakraborty, Damian Christinger, Magali Dougoud, Hayat Erdoğan, Anne-Laure Franchette, Johannes M. Hedinger, Kim de l’Horizon, Josiane Imhasly, Monica Ursina Jäger, Dominik Landwehr, Joanna Leśnierowska, Paulina Lopez, Harald Welzer, André Wilkens.
Dossier: Marc Augé, Octavia E. Butler, David Graeber, Donna Haraway, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Roman Krznaric, Ursula K. Le Guin, Lesley Lokko, Achille Mbembe, Milo Rau, Nikolaj Schultz, Vandana Shiva, Edward Snowden, Rebecca Solnit, Greta Thunberg, Anne L. Tsing, Slavoj Žižek and others.
Artworks: Ravi Agarwal und Paulina Lopez, Paloma Ayala, Magali Dougoud, Hemauer/Keller, Monica Ursina Jäger, Ola Maciejewska, Sujit Mallik, Vibeke Mascini, Farah Mulla, Ernesto Neto, QUARTO, Stefanie Salzman, Renae Shadler, Andrea Todisco, Huhtamaki Wab.
Credits: Editor: ILEA, Johannes M. Hedinger; editorial work: Hendrick Krone
Design: Alltag Agentur, Philip Bührer; Layout: Rachel Kühne
Publisher: Vexer St.Gallen / Berlin; ISBN: 978-3-907112-87-8
> detailed information

We would also like to invite you to the first two book presentations:

Sat Nov 30 – 18.00
as part of the Futurological Congress, Löwenbräu Kunst, Zurich
With performative reading by Ishita Chakraborty
Program details and registration:
https://www.weareaia.ch/de/the-9th-futurological-congress/

Thu Dec 5 – 17-19.00
ZHdK Zurich University of the Arts, Room 4.T09
Toni Areal, Pfingstweidstr. 96, 8005 Zürich
With aperitif and readings by Hayat Erdogan, Damian Christinger and Johannes Hedinger

Fri Jan 24 2025 – 18.00
Vexer Verlag Berlin, Gneisenaustr. 54, 10961 Berlin
details follow

Ernesto Neto Docu

The video documentation of Ernesto Neto’s performance FROM EARTH TO EARTH, shown for the first time at the finissage, is now available on YouTube.

Closing Event

Sunday October 20th, 11-16:00, in and around the Berghotel Alpenblick

11:00
Book presentation ILEA BOOK2: “What if? Letters to the Future”
Author talk with Ishita Chakraborty and Annemarie Bucher
Berghotel Alpenblick

12-14:00
Food event, activation “Breastworks” by Paloma Ayala, with Sascha Skraban
Behind Berghotel Alpenblick

14:00
Artist talk and work presentation “M ü.M.”
with Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller
In und vor Berghotel Alpenblick

Permanent:
– Video-Documentary Ernesto Neto: „From Earth to Earth“
– Preview ILEA BOOK2: „What if? Letters to the Future“

And the last chance to see all the works of the Biennale in Safien-Platz, Tenna, Thalkirch and Versam by: Ravi Agarwal & Paulina Lopez / Paloma Ayala / Magali Dougoud / Hemauer/Keller / Monica Ursina Jäger / Ola Maciejewska / Sujit Mallik / Vibeke Mascini / Farah Mulla / Ernesto Neto / QUARTO / Stefanie Salzmann / Renae Shadler / Andrea Todisco / Huhtamaki Wab 

Under My Gaze

Review of the performance on 15.9.24 in Valendas:
UNDER MY GAZE by RENAE SHADLER
Participants: Emeka Ene / Dorota Michalak / Renae Shadler (performance), Samuel Hertz (sound)
supported by Aerocene Foundation
Work description   /  CLIP 1  /  CLIP 2

Performance in Valendas

The performance UNDER MY GAZE and workshop by Renae Shaedler will be shown on September 15 in Valendas – as part of the Valendas village festival.
Performance: 11.15 am – 12.45 pm
Workshop: 2.30 – 4 pm (also for families with children)
Participants: Emeka Ene / Dorota Michalak / Renae Shadler (performance), Samuel Hertz (sound)
program village festival

In the media

Media reports on the Art Safiental Biennale (in German, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Japanese) will be posted on the press page on an ongoing basis.

THE HOLE

Review of the artist talk and work presentation by ILEA artist in residence SUJIT MALLIK, who presented his work THE HOLE and spoke about his farm collective Saagwala in New Delhi and the dialog between art and agriculture. The one-month residency was made possible thanks to a Research Grand from Pro Helvetia.
> Work description

📷 by: Sujit Mallik (1), Hanna Hölling (2), Marcus Maeder (3), Johannes Hedinger (4,5)

Academy 2024 canceled

Due to the tight financial situation, the Alps Art Academy Symposium planned for 30.8. – 1.9.2024 had to be canceled. Instead, a discursive event is planned for the finissage of the Art Safiental Biennale on October 20, 2024. Details will follow in September. We wish you a wonderful summer and invite everyone to visit ART SAFIENTAL until October 20.

Artist Talk

Please join us  for a work presentation and talk with Biennale artist and current artist in resident at ILEA at Berghotel Alpenblick in Tenna

SUJIT KUMAR MALLIK
THE HOLE (listening station)
Berghotel Alpenblick Tenna
Aug 1, 4pm
talk with curator Johannes M. Hedinger
Followed by BBQ by Sascha at Alpenblick Tenna

Sujit will present his newly developed work THE HOLE (listening station) and talk about the dialog between (wo)man and planet and between the human and the more-than-human.
As an artist and farmer, Sujit digs through time and the stories of soils (and the earth). As part of his ILEA residency, he dug a hole to be able to listen into the ground in a very analog way. Visitors are invited to listen into the Alpine soil of Tenna via a thin, over 1-meter-long tube. A cushion with a hole, a mat to lie on and earplugs for the ear facing away from the hole are provided so that visitors can optimally immerse themselves in this meditative journey. After the listening experience, participants are invited to share their thoughts in a notebook (“hole journal”). The project aims to sharpen the senses and to re-experience the soil as a central force in our lives.

ZOMBIE MERMAIDS (Performance)

Review of the performance day on 20.7.24 in Safien Platz:
Magali Dougoud, Laure Boer and Myriam Jarmache performed ZOMBIE MERMAIDS, A SONG FOR FUTURE WATERS by MAGALI DOUGOUD.
Duration 35 min. Followed by an artist talk with the curator Josiane Imhasly
> Work description

📷 by: Artemis Tsakiri (1, 4, 5, 6), Luc Isenschmid (2), Josiane Imhasly (3), Johannes Hedinger (7, 8)

THE SECOND BODY

Review of the performance day on 20.7.24 in Safien Platz:
Leah Marojevic performig THE SECOND BODY by OLA MACIEJEWSKA.
Duration 60 min. Followed by an artist talk with the curator Joanna Lesnierowska.
A video documentation will soon be available online.
> Work description:

📷 by: Johannes Hedinger (1, 2, 3, 6), Ola Maciejewska Studio (4), Thomas Rickenmann (5)

Performance Day July 20

Join us for another performance day at Art Safiental Biennale 2024
July 20 – at KWZ Kraftwerke Zervreila AG in Safien Platz

2.15 pm
Leah Marojevic will perform THE SECOND BODY by OLA MACIEJEWSKA
Duration 60 min. Followed by an artist talk with curator Joanna Lesnierowska

4.15 pm
MAGALI DOUGOUD, Laure Boer and Myriam Jarmache will perform ZOMBIE MERMAIDS, A SONG FOR FUTURE WATERS
Duration 35 min. Followed by an artist talk with curator Josiane Imhasly

We are officially open!

1: QUARTO: Moving Landscapes Thomas Rickenmann

2: Ernesto Neto explaining the upcoming performance : Urs Karli

3: Monica Ursina Jäger, groupscreening of „Transient Traveller“, Monica Ursina Jäger

4: Paloma Ayala explaining her „Breastworks“, Dominik Landwehr

5: Hemauer/Keller explaining „M.ü.M.“, Johannes Hedinger

6: Official Opening at Alpenblick Tenna, Hanna Hölling

7: Official Opening at Alpenblick Tenna, Urs Karli

8: Huhtamaki Wab Opening at Kunst Garage Versam, Johannes Hedinger

9: Ernesto Neto: „From Earth to Earth“, : Johannes Hedinger

10: Damian, Ernesto, Hanna, Anton and Johannes tired but happy

Opening Performances

July 5
Huhtamaki Web will perform NOMADIC FREQUENCIES from sundown to sunrise in the barn of Kunstgarage Versam.
7.30pm exhibition + drinks, 8.30pm Start Performance
You can bring your sleeping bag and listen all night long!

July 6
QUARTO will perform MOVING LANDSCAPES below Tenner Chrüz in Tenna.
Meeting Point: 6pm at Berghotel Alpenblick, Tenna. 90 minutes hiking on foot. Duration of the Performance: 45 min. Return approx. 9.30 pm in Tenna

July 7
ERNESTO NETO will perform FROM EARTH TO EARTH in Tenna.
Meeting Point: 11am at Berghotel Alpenblick Tenna. 25 minutes procession on foot. Duration of the Performance: 60 min.
Return approx. 1pm at Berghotel Alpenblick Tenna

Exhibition Guide

Available from July 5 in all restaurants, village stores and tourism points in the valley as well here for download.

Opening Program

From July 5-7, you can look forward to a great opening program with performances and artist meetings. >Detailed program. See you soon in Safiental!

(image: QUARTO, Moving Landscapes, photo: Claudio von Planta)

Teaser Video

Curatorial Statement

Curatorial Statement to the Biennale 24: 
What if? Songs from Tomorrowlands

In the summer of 2024, the voices of thirteen artists will be heard in the Alpine valley of Safiental, located in the Canton of Grisons, Switzerland. Akin to mountaineers calling to each other from mountain tops, the tales of different futures and speculative scenarios will bounce off the peaks and reverberate within the valley, amplifying the visions of these imagined tomorrows. What songs will we hear? And which ones would we like to sing along with?

The Safiental valley was shaped by the Rabiusa River, whose name translates as “raging”, and is now tamed by hydropower. The land, largely cultivated wherever the hillsides are not too steep, is dotted with dispersed settlements. To the north, the valley is bordered by the famous Rhine Gorge, a colossal wound ripped open ten thousand years ago by a landslide. In this landscape, the catastrophic is as palpable as the cultivated. The romantic and the technological meet in unexpected infrastructures.

In the site-specific exhibition What if? Songs from Tomorrowlands, artists react to this territory, looking at the Safiental valley and the Alps as a crucible for human and natural activity. The temporality of the landscape is expanded and connected with other places and times through the resonance of local and global voices, memories, and myths. In this context, “What if?” is more than just a rhetorical question, and songs are not only understood as melodies. They are tools that encourage us to go beyond the familiar and connect to ourselves, all kinds of other living beings, and the environment through new affiliations and identities, shaped by the exchange and transformation of alternative knowledge and stories. “What if” is thus understood as world-making, inviting us to seek collective healing and harmony, driven by the idea that hope is a muscle (Björk) that must constantly be exercised.

What if? Songs from Tomorrowlands refers to a relational point of view: one that listens to the whispers and collective chants from possible futures in a time of multiple choices, crises, opportunities, and catastrophes. Together, we set out to reflect on and act upon the present through the lens of the times to come – by asking ourselves in the future perfect tense (Harald Welzer): What will we have done, and what will we have left undone? How do we want to be remembered, and how can we become “a good ancestor” (Roman Krznaric)?

The thirteen voices spread across the valley, ricocheting across the meadows, forests, and rocky outcrops, reverberating questions, hopes and fears. This songbook of utopian and dystopian spells is nourished by dreams, imagination, and the speculative worlds of science fiction. In Safiental, the changing mountainous environment encourages us to question our sense of collective belonging and the way we relate to the world around us. Echoing the chorus of this increasingly sticky melody, it prompts us to practice the “What if?”.

Curators:
Anne-Laure Franchette, Josiane Imhasly, Johannes M. Hedinger, Joanna Lesnierowska

Survey

In February 2024, the Beverin Nature Park conducted a survey among the residents of Safiental regarding the ART SAFIENTAL Biennale and the ALPS ART ACADEMY summer school. The aim was to record and collect expectations, wishes and needs regarding the art and cultural initiatives. A total of 117 responses were received (952 inhabitants live in Safiental). The ILEA association will be evaluating the survey results over the next few weeks and then inviting the valley community to a discussion on the future of cultural activities in Safiental. The date and location of the event will be communicated shortly.  We would like to thank all Safiental residents who took part in the survey.

A first brief preview of the survey results can be found here:  Survey Art Safiental 2024

Crowdfunding

Save the date

July 6 – October 20, 2024
5. ART SAFIENTAL – Biennale for Land and Environmental Art
„WHAT IF? Songs from Tomorrowlands“
Safiental, Switzerland

Works by:
Ravi Agarwal + Paulina Lopez (IN, CL)
Paloma Ayala (MX/CH)
Magali Dougoud (CH)
Hemauer/Keller (CH)
Monica Ursina Jaeger (CH)
Vibeke Mascini (NL)
Ernesto Neto (BR)
Ola Maciejewska (PL)
Quarto (BR/SE)
Stefanie Salzmann (CH)
Renae Shadler (AUS/DE)
Andrea Francesco Todisco (CH)
Huhtamaki Wab (JP/UK)
a.o.

Curated by:
Anne-Laure Franchette, Johannes M. Hedinger, Josiane Imhasly, Joanna Lesnierowska

The 5. Biennale for Land and Environmental Art will take place between July 6 – October 20, 2024, in Safiental (Grisons, Switzerland). 13 national and international art positions will create temporary outdoor works in dialogue with the landscape. Distributed over the entire valley the installations will be accessible daily free of charge for around four months. A short guide with a map will be published to accompany the exhibition, followed by a catalogue in autumn. The festival center is located at Berghotel Alpenblick Tenna, which is also home to ILEA (Institute for Land and Environmental Art), the ILEA Gallery and the ILEA Residency program.

Among the over 60 artists and projects from previous Biennales, you find artists such as Lita Albuquerque, Ursula Biemann, Julius von Bismarck, James Bridle, Bob Gramsma, Ingeborg Lüscher, !Mediengruppe Bitnik, Raumlabor, Analia Saban, Roman Signer, Steiner/Lenzlinger, Ben Vautier and many others.
The founder and artistic director of the Art Safiental Biennale is Johannes M. Hedinger.
The exhibition is organized by the ILEA Institute for Land and Environmental Art, and sponsored by the Beverin Nature Park in partnership with the municipality of Safiental.

Support Culture

Dear cultural friends and shoppers at MIGROS (Switzerland): Support our association ILEA (Institute for Land and Environmental Art) with your purchase (The Support Culture-campaign only runs until April 15). Many thanks in advance! DIREKTLINK