Ah Mountain! Weary of Time
When dark comes swirling down across my eyes and the sweet grip of slumber loosens my limbs, somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, I dream about my mountain. Once the vibrant scenery of the jolly life of my summer pastures has turned into a haze of ever-fading taunting imagery, I only stumble upon it in the dreamland.
I can never truly recreate what I see in my dreams, since time has decayed it, hence the pictures are merely the distorted reflection of the life I once lived as a child on our mountain with my grandparents (I try to look for them on active mountains in Adjara).
When I was a child, I thought like a child: nomads of Adjara would keep my mountain alive. When I became a man, I put away childish things – now I see life in the remaining summer valleys and can’t help but see death in the shadows of that very life. The dreams represent the past of what was, while the pictures in the series simultaneously mirror the past and the future of what ought to be.
Tbel Abuseridze
Tbel Abuseridze (born in 1995) is a Georgian multimedia artist based in Tbilisi, primarily working in photography. His artistic journey began with a strong foundation in documentary photography, adhering to the classic traditions of the genre. Recently, however, Abuseridze has expanded his practice to include experimental and conceptual photography, blending these styles to create a distinctive and dynamic body of work. This duality – where documentary meets the experimental – is becoming a defining characteristic of his artistic voice.
His latest works explore the theme of migration in the mountainous region of Adjara, reflecting on the lives of the disappearing villages where he spent his childhood. Through close collaboration with the Muslim community of the Adjarian mountains, Abuseridze sheds light on ongoing social dynamics that often go unnoticed in mainstream media.
In addition to his exploration of rural life, Abuseridze is actively engaged in documenting political movements within Georgia, particularly demonstrations. His work extends beyond national borders; following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he traveled twice to Ukraine, capturing the human stories that emerge amidst conflict. Whether he is documenting the quiet solitude of the high mountains of Adjara or the loud protests in front of the Georgian parliament, where the country’s heart beats, Tbel is continuously seeking new forms of expression and innovative approaches to visual storytelling.