Extented till 21 August 2020, We-Fr, 11:00 am-5:00 pm


A yak in a motion, is hard to stop. Encounters beyonds the Silk Road.

Painting on paper: Inge H. Schmidt Photography: Krzysztof Płaza. The unstoppable journey, loaded with heavy luggage, which consists almost exclusively of camera equipment and painting utensils, is more than traveling. It is a search that is driven by an overwhelming curiosity to understand the interrelationships of the world and to learn more about yourself, always in search of the original. This is how the photographer Krzysztof Płaza and the painter Inge H. Schmidt describe it, who often set off together. Everyone with a keen eye and an incredible feeling for people, but processing their impressions in two different artistic forms. It is an exhibition about the everyday life of ordinary people across the Silk Road, about poignantly beautiful landscapes and a fateful, often mysterious life "at the end of the world". Many faces that we can look into tell about it. From travel diaries of Inge H.Schmidt, Tajikistan 2009 Afira, 103 years old, Ismaili, Khorog: What a desolate area. I wondered how a human being could even live here. Afira, her family and even her neighbors had survived here for generations, thanks to a single seedling—an apricot tree. It has surpassed 200 years of age and prospers in Afira`s little garden in front of her house. I`m amazed at how cheerful, healthy and fit everyone is, especially Afira, who`s over a hundred years old. The apricot tree seems to root through the entire garden. Its twigs dangle down like loaded arms having to carry the onslaught of orange fruits. Year for year. The tree is like a gift of life that keeps the family healthy. During summer time, everyone eats the ripe fruits and cherishes the dry ones when winter knocks. The family’s house is stuffed with preserved dishes and bottled fruits—nothing gets wasted. Even the fruit`s pips get pressed into oil. And in case the supplies run out between January and March, the family simply fasts. During that time, they only drink the fruit’s juice once or twice per day. No one knows when the apricot tree will stop carrying fruits. But right now, that`s unthinkable. Legend has it that the Ismailis are one of the most mysterious religious communities. They do carry a strong, social spirit.