Emily Garthwaite: Tears of the Tigris

Leica Gallery London is exhibiting Tears of the Tigris; photographs from award-winning photojournalist and Leica Ambassador, Emily Garthwaite. The work documents Garthwaite’s exceptional journey through Iraq with writer Leon McCarron, walking the Zagros Mountain Trail and twice travelling down the Tigris River through Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Garthwaite’s photography, which focuses on environmental and humanitarian stories, sheds light on a completely unique perspective of these regions, weaving together themes of shared humanity, displacement, and coexistence within the natural world.

"Our quest was for the enduring aspects of the river - the culture and heritage that have survived for millennia. We experienced the beauty and depth of history but also saw the impact of past decades of conflict and the environmental and geopolitical threats that have left the birthplace of civilisation at risk of becoming uninhabitable to the 30 million people living in the Tigris watershed. In 2023, I returned to follow the river through Iraq in search of the Garden of Eden and to return to the communities who welcomed me into their lives"

The works in the exhibition are taken between 2020 - 2023 and encompass both journeys taken down the Tigris by the photographer.

Garthwaite has exhibited and published her work internationally including The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Washington Post, Der Spiegel, Le Figaro, and GEO among others.

Please contact our gallery for more information on the works, all photographs in the exhibition are for sale.