The Silk Road: A Living History

An open-air exhibition documenting the overland journey photographer Christopher Wilton-Steer undertook in 2019 following the historic trade route.

8 April – 16 June 2021  |  Granary Square, King’s Cross, London
16 June – 22 August 2021  | Lewis Cubitt Square, King’s Cross, London

The Aga Khan Foundation UK presents an open-air photography exhibition about the people, places and cultures encountered across 17 countries between the UK and China along the ancient Silk Road.

Comprised of nearly 100 photographs mounted on 24 photo benches, The Silk Road: A Living History invites the viewer to take a 40,000km journey from London to Beijing.

The show aims to celebrate the diversity of cultural expressions found along the route, highlight examples of how historical practices, rituals and customs live on today, and also reveal some of the connections between what appear at first glance to be very different cultures. It also seeks to engender interest and understanding between distant cultures and challenge perceptions of less well known and understood parts of the world. Photographs from Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, India, China and elsewhere will feature. Additionally, the exhibition aims to raise awareness about AKDN’s contributions to improving the quality of life across social, economic and cultural spheres in Central and South Asia as well as the Middle East.

The exhibition documents an overland journey photographer Christopher Wilton-Steer undertook in 2019 following the historic trade route.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of publicly accessible talks and workshops at the Aga Khan Centre as well as a Silk Road Bazaar.

Learn more: www.silkroad-livinghistory.org