Wender·Vista
Trans-Karakoram Tract
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePeople's Republic of China
in the high Karakoram, north of K2

Trans-Karakoram Tract

— — a blank on most maps, mountains on every side.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A wedge of high glacier country in the Karakoram, ceded by Pakistan to China in the 1963 boundary agreement and administered from Taxkorgan in Xinjiang's far west. The Shaksgam Valley runs through the middle of it, north of K2 and the Gasherbrums. There are no villages and no roads built for visitors. Only mountaineers with Chinese permits and survey teams cross it, mostly in a short summer window. from the studio

from the studio
Trans-Karakoram Tract
— bring it home

Trans-Karakoram Tract, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Trans-Karakoram Tract

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Trans-Karakoram Tract is a roughly 5,800 square kilometre block of mountain and glacier in the Karakoram range, lying north of the main watershed and including most of the Shaksgam Valley. Pakistan and China agreed its boundary in March 1963, transferring administration to China; India contests the agreement as part of the wider Kashmir dispute. The tract falls within Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, with elevations ranging from about 3,500 metres at the Shaksgam riverbed up to more than 7,800 metres on peaks along its southern rim.

— the air

Air at the floor of the Shaksgam Valley already sits above 4,000 metres, with the K2 north face, Broad Peak, and the Gasherbrums climbing another four thousand metres above that. Storms blow in from the Indian monsoon to the south and from the Tarim Basin to the north, often colliding over the divide. Climbers attempting the north side of K2 cross the Shaksgam on foot in late June, when the river is briefly fordable, and again in August on the way out.

— the silence

There are no permanent settlements in the tract. The nearest year-long inhabitants are Tajik herders in the upper Yarkand drainage and the small base at Mazar, where the K-219 road from Yecheng ends and the walk-in to the Shaksgam begins. Survey crews from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and visiting expeditions are the only regular human presence, mostly between June and September. For nine months of the year the valley belongs to wind, snow, and the bharal sheep that work the moraines.

— where
People's Republic of China · Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang
— position
36.2000° N · 76.5000° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
K2
8,611m peak
at the lake
Gasherbrum I
8,080m peak
at the lake
Broad Peak
8,051m peak
at the lake
Shaksgam Valley
remote river valley
N
Trans-Karakoram Tract
K2
Gasherbrum I
Broad Peak
Shaksgam Valley
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Trans-Karakoram Tract — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In the Karakoram range of far western Xinjiang, north of the main watershed and just north of K2 and the Gasherbrum peaks. It is administered from Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in the People's Republic of China.

Pakistan and China signed a boundary agreement in March 1963 that placed the tract under Chinese administration. India contests the agreement as part of the wider Kashmir dispute and does not recognise the transfer.

Only with Chinese government permission, almost always tied to a mountaineering or survey permit issued by the Chinese Mountaineering Association. There is no tourist access and no public road into the Shaksgam Valley.

The southern rim is the north face of K2 and the Gasherbrum peaks; Broad Peak and Skyang Kangri sit nearby. The interior is glaciers and the Shaksgam River, which drains east toward the Yarkand.

The main valley running through the tract, draining the north faces of the high Karakoram. Expeditions to K2 from the north cross the river on foot in late June and August, when it is briefly low enough to ford.

— about the piece in your home

Yes, especially for someone who has climbed in the Karakoram or studied its boundary history. The piece reads as a quiet acknowledgement of a place very few people will ever see. The Medium frames well in a study or library.

The cool blue-white palette and stone tones sit naturally with alpine-modern, library, and warm minimalist rooms. The piece also works well in studies finished in dark wood and brass, where its blues read as cool light.

Above a sofa, a Large or a four-tile Mural carries the wall. Above a console or a desk, a Medium or a pair of Small tiles holds attention without overwhelming the books and objects around it.

Yes. Specify the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with steam, splash, or heat. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and does not lift or fade with regular cleaning.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. No abrasives, no ceramic or stone cleaners. The thin protective finish keeps the colour stable; gentle wiping is all the piece needs over its lifetime.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in our visual language by Reid Wender and produced in our Knoxville studio. The work is not licensed and is not available through other sellers.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.