A stunning exhibition of photographs by Chewton photographer Aaron Keith is currently on show at Castlemaine Contemporary Arts Space (CASPA).
Threads Along The Silk Road is Aaron’s first solo exhibition and the collection of photographs was taken over a few months travelling through Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Georgia in late 2025.
“I’d previously enjoyed a couple of trips to Europe, but each time I travelled with friends and had a home base I could fall back on where my sister was living in Berlin,” he said.
“This was my first real solo adventure. I wanted to go off the beaten track. I travelled by train, minibus and hitchhiked, which is sometimes the only option in remote places.
“Despite the language barrier, I found the people warm, helpful and accommodating. However, I was surprised by how many Aussies and Kiwis I met along the way! It has become a really popular destination with hikers in particular.”
Aaron developed a love for photography in secondary school and initially began his university studies with a view to pursuing a potential career in photojournalism, but he soon grew tired of the course load.
“I really wanted to get out there and experience the world. But I always have my camera with me wherever I go. Trips to Melbourne, interstate, overseas. I am always documenting things. I love that street style of photography and capturing the essence of a place and its people.”
Aaron was planning on doing a circuit around the silk road. However, as he met other travellers along the way, his journey diverged and it became more of an east-west experience.
“I started in the mountain region of Kyzart, Kyrgyzstan where many of the people still live a nomadic lifestyle. Then I travelled to the grand cities featuring Soviet brutalist architecture in Kazakhstan, then on to the mosques and mausoleums of Uzbekistan, and through to Georgia, which has a strong Christian culture,” he said.
Aaron returned home with more than 4000 photographs and when the opportunity came up to create an exhibition he jumped at it. He whittled the images down to 200, before selecting the final 38 with the help of a family friend experienced in curating exhibitions. The show chronicles his adventure from start to finish.
“They form a journey of documentation of the complex cultures and histories of these countries, which grew as crucial regions of influence along the silk road over many centuries, and much more recently as former members of the Soviet Union,” he said.
“As such, I want to present fleeting snapshots of how these vastly different periods of history and ways of life coexist in the modern day, through the lens of candid moments of the people I came across crossed while traversing the ancient trade route from east to west.”
Aaron has been thrilled with the response to the exhibition with many visitors recounting their own travels in these regions.
The exhibition runs until this Thursday April 30.
The gallery space is open tomorrow and Thursday between 11am and 4pm.
CASPA is located above Stoneman’s Bookroom and is accessible via the laneway on Hargraves Street.