Akbar was the assistant guide whose meagre clothing consisted of a jumper, chinos and a pair of sandals. He seemed to glide through the rocky terrain before turning back to wait for people to catch up. As a commercial painter back near Skardu, Akbar wore his thin work overalls when it started to rain. Amidst all the rubble and ice, he looked like he was working in a contaminated area. Armageddon reflects the possible contradiction as to how an expedition conceived with an aesthetic goal in mind, at times felt at the end of the world in an area prone to enormous avalanches and the backdrop to a decades old conflict between its neighbour to the south.

- William Mitchell, K2 Artistic Expeditions: James Hart Dyke & Vittorio Sella, 2026

See all the paintings in K2: James Hart Dyke at our London exhibition, which then travels to the Forte di Bard. You can also browse more works by James Hart Dyke or read his biography.