{
  "id": 2506021,
  "title": "From Zurich to Jantar Mantar to Ladakh: Under Raqs’ disobedient shamiana",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/from-zurich-to-jantar-mantar-to-ladakh-under-raqs-disobedient-shamiana",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-22T05:28:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/from-zurich-to-jantar-mantar-to-ladakh-under-raqs-disobedient-shamiana-10844479/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Wayfarer Series by Raqs Media Collective has been featured in various significant locations, including Zurich, Jantar Mantar, and Ladakh. The colourful fabric with a navratna pattern, known as the shamiana, is a traditional ceremonial tent in India and South Asia, but also a symbol of resistance. The collective, consisting of Jeebesh Bagchi, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, and Monica Narula, has been active since 1992, creating works that blend artistic and political themes. This month, the shamiana was exhibited at Ladakh Arts and Media Organisation (LAMO) building in Leh as part of the Wayfarer Series. Previously, it had been displayed at Zurich's Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst as part of Disobedience Archive (Canopy for Broken Time) for four months. The move to Ladakh coincided with a student protest against the country's fragile education system at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. For Sengupta, this time represents a \"watershed\" moment, portraying a new generation thinking creatively about the future and politics. The collective's work often explores the intersection of politics and the quotidian, with their art and films examining human-nature conflict, environmental destruction, and societal issues. The shamiana serves as a metaphor for the collective's practice, embodying a reality they have grown up with and reflecting upon its effective exchange with the world.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Raqs Media Collective's shamiana exhibited in Zurich, Jantar Mantar, and Ladakh",
    "Shamiana, a traditional ceremonial tent, symbolizes resistance and the collective's practice",
    "Coincides with student protest at Jantar Mantar, marking a watershed moment for new generation"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Raqs Media Collective's exhibition of the shamiana in diverse locations like Zurich, Jantar Mantar, and Ladakh signals a strategic use of art to amplify dissent and reimagine politics and society.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}