“The Sanctuary of Water,” 2026 by Tomás Saraceno (Photo: © Studio Tomás Saraceno). The Sanctuary of Water, conceived by artist Tomás Saraceno with the 11 indigenous communities of the Red Atacama network, Salinas Grandes, northern Argentina. With the generous support of Haus der Kunst, Munich, The Aerocene Foundation, Studio Tomás Saraceno, and many others. Courtesy the artist, Red Atacama and The Aerocene Foundation, as well as the art galleries neugerriemschneider, Berlin, Tanya Bonakdar, Los Angeles, Pinksummer, Genova, Andersen’s, Copenhagen and Ruth Benzacar, Buenos Aires. All images © Photography by Studio Tomás Saraceno, unless stated otherwise.
According to the World Economic Forum, extracting a ton of lithium—to manufacture rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles—requires around 2.2 million liters (almost 600,000 gallons) of water. While this amount would put any region of the world under environmental stress, it is particularly felt around the arid region of Salinas Grandes, a salt flat in northern Argentina that sits on one of the world’s largest lithium reserves. There, water is more than an endangered resource; it’s a divine-like figure to the 11 Indigenous communities that call the area home.
To shed a light how our energy consumption is putting this sacred landscape at risk, where the salt flat becomes one with the sky, the Red Atacama Community of Salinas Grandes has joined forces with artist Tomás Saraceno to build El Santuario del Agua (The Sanctuary of Water). This community-owned and operated structure will double as a cultural center and an offering to Pachamama, the supreme Andean goddess, who is regarded as the source of all life.
The sanctuary will be comprised of five semicircular structures that evoke apachetas, piles of rocks found on roads and peaks to ask the Andean deities for protection on their travels or as a symbol of gratitude for keeping them safe. “The apachetas not only mark the path; they bless it. They are our spiritual beacons,” says Red Atacama. These structures, which are up to 40 feet tall, will be built using bricks made of salt, a technique inspired by the environment and traditional Andean architecture. The salt apachetas will also be positioned in a way that, when the water is replenished by an elusive rainfall, the semicircles become a full, rounded figure created by the reflection in the water.
El Santuario del Agua is slated to open in the fall under a sustainable tourism model, bringing in much needed revenue for the Indigenous communities in an area that sees over 1,500 tourists a day. Along with learning about the land, its people, the water cycles, and its significance within the Andean worldview, visitors can also climb the stairs carved into the structures to reach elevated viewing platforms, which offer better vantage points to appreciate the beauty of the salt flats.
“For the Andean peoples, water is a living being that walks between sky and earth, a relative who sustains life with its sacred cycle,” says the Red Atacama Community. “When its paths flow in balance, our existence also flows. That is why it is honored: because in each drop beats a shared memory, and protecting it means protecting ourselves and those who will come after us.”
To stay up to date with this project, or learn how you can donate and be part of it, follow Saraceno’s interdisciplinary artistic community Aerocene on Instagram and visit their website.
Artist Tomás Saraceno has joined forces with 11 Indigenous communities to build El Santuario del Agua (The Sanctuary of Water).
“endless big,” 2006 by Tomás Saraceno (Photo: © Studio Tomás Saraceno. Courtesy of the artist, neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York; Andersen's Contemporary, Copenhagen; Ruth Benzacar, Buenos Aires, and Pinksummer Contemporary Art, Genoa. © Photography by Studio Tomás Saraceno )
This structure will be placed in Salinas Grandes, a salt flat that has seen its water dramatically reduced by the extraction of lithium.
Salinas Grandes, northern Argentina, 2026 (Photo: © Studio Tomás Saraceno)
This community-owned and operated center will double as a cultural center and an offering to Pachamama, the supreme Andean goddess, who is regarded as the source of all life.
“The Sanctuary of Water,” 2026 by Tomás Saraceno (Photo: © Studio Tomás Saraceno). The Sanctuary of Water, conceived by artist Tomás Saraceno with the 11 indigenous communities of the Red Atacama network, Salinas Grandes, northern Argentina. With the generous support of Haus der Kunst, Munich, The Aerocene Foundation, Studio Tomás Saraceno, and many others. Courtesy the artist, Red Atacama and The Aerocene Foundation, as well as the art galleries neugerriemschneider, Berlin, Tanya Bonakdar, Los Angeles, Pinksummer, Genova, Andersen’s, Copenhagen and Ruth Benzacar, Buenos Aires. All images © Photography by Studio Tomás Saraceno, unless stated otherwise.
El Santuario del Agua is slated to open in the fall under a sustainable tourism model, bringing in much-needed revenue for the Indigenous communities in an area that sees over 1,500 tourists a day.
Fly with Aerocene Pacha, Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc, northern Argentina, 2020, floating with the message written by the Indigenous communities of Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc, Jujuy, Argentina: “Water and Life are Worth More than Lithium,” 2020. Human Solar Free-Flight for Aerocene as part of “Connect, BTS,” curated by DaeHyung Lee. (Photo: © Studio Tomás Saraceno, courtesy of the Aerocene Foundation. Licensed under CC-SA 4.0 by Aerocene Foundation.)
Salinas Grandes, northern Argentina, 2026 (Photo: © Studio Tomás Saraceno)
“The Three Worlds of Pacha,” 2026 by Tomás Saraceno (Photo: © Studio Tomás Saraceno)
Aerocene Community. Fairclouds drawing, Salinas Grandes, northern Argentina, 2023. (Photo: © Studio Tomás Saraceno)
“When the Llama Drinks from the Stars and the Spider Weaves Cycles of Life, Where the Sky Touches the Earth and Time Expands Like Salt, the Sanctuary of Water Are Fair Clouds on the Horizon,” 2025 by Tomás Saraceno (Photo: © Studio Tomás Saraceno)
Apacheta, Atacama Region, 2026. (Photo: © Studio Tomás Saraceno)
Tomás Saraceno: Website | Instagram
Aerocene: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Studio Tomás Saraceno.
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