No Georgian Dream

© Lea Greub - A suburb of the capital Tbilisi. Tiflis, 2023. © Lea Greub - Performance artist Anamaria Burduli in her living room. Tiflis, 2023. © Lea Greub - The metro station Marjanishvili. Tbilisi, 2023. View all images ↓
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NO GEORGIAN DREAM For my photo series, I portrayed the realities on the ground for the young generation in Georgia, which is in conflict with the pro-Russian conservative government.

Georgia finds itself caught between the worlds of Asia and Europe, as well as Russia and the EU.
Although Georgia has applied for EU membership, its government operates more like a puppet of Russia, allowing the opportunity to join the European Union to slip away, despite the fact that the majority of Georgians support EU accession. Resistance from the older generations is minimal. Perhaps their mentality has been too deeply shaped by the trauma of the Soviet Union, where it was difficult to dream of a better future and where political elites were untouchable.

However, for the younger generation, this is hard to accept. They have hope for a future within the EU, one that promises economic growth, better educational opportunities, and the reduction of social injustice and discrimination. Young Georgians no longer identify with the conservative values in which the country seems to have been stuck since the USSR era.

This is especially true for artists, activists, and those who do not fit into the traditional system, for whom a promising future seems to be slipping away.

For the project, I portrayed young Georgians who don’t conform to the regressive value system and explored their visions for the future. Through still-life images, as well as architectural and landscape photography, I captured their current reality in Georgia. In addition to the resulting photobook dummy, I filmed interviews and created a short documentary from the collected material. I also collaborated with Georgian musicians and dancers to film a dance video, adding another layer of creative expression to the project. These videos could be shown in the exhibition or shared on social media accounts to promote the project.

Interviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8JMmYSSpL8
Dancevideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyZVbPMnv7I

© Lea Greub - A suburb of the capital Tbilisi. Tiflis, 2023.
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A suburb of the capital Tbilisi. Tiflis, 2023.

© Lea Greub - Performance artist Anamaria Burduli in her living room. Tiflis, 2023.
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Performance artist Anamaria Burduli in her living room. Tiflis, 2023.

© Lea Greub - The metro station Marjanishvili. Tbilisi, 2023.
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The metro station Marjanishvili. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - Artist Haku Kukhiahitze in her front garden. Tbilisi, 2023.
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Artist Haku Kukhiahitze in her front garden. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - A watchdog on a wall in Gori, the birthplace of Stalin. Gori 2023
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A watchdog on a wall in Gori, the birthplace of Stalin. Gori 2023

© Lea Greub - Tattoo artist George Kartozia in his childhood home. Tbilisi, 2023.
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Tattoo artist George Kartozia in his childhood home. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - Performance artist Ana Gubeladze and her sister in a former factory building. Tbilisi, 2023.
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Performance artist Ana Gubeladze and her sister in a former factory building. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - Police at the demonstration against the law on ‘foreign agents’ in front of the parliament. Tbilisi, 2023.
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Police at the demonstration against the law on ‘foreign agents’ in front of the parliament. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - Artist and activist David Apakidze in his studio. Tbilisi, 2023.
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Artist and activist David Apakidze in his studio. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - The music and theatre archive from the Soviet era in the abandoned State Theatre of Music and Theatre. Tbilisi, 2023.
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The music and theatre archive from the Soviet era in the abandoned State Theatre of Music and Theatre. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - Image from the No Georgian Dream photography project
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A shell of a building on the motorway between Gori and Kutaisi. Written on the wall: ‘HAPPINESS WE NEVER HEARD OF’. Tbilisi, 2022.

© Lea Greub - The musician Aghnie. Tbilisi, 2023.
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The musician Aghnie. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - A billboard after riots at the demonstration against the ‘foreign agent’ law in front of the parliament. Tbilisi, 2023.
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A billboard after riots at the demonstration against the ‘foreign agent’ law in front of the parliament. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - Image from the No Georgian Dream photography project
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Georgian-born musician Natia Chichinadze. She fears that Russia will extend its sphere of influence to Georgia. Berlin, 2023.

© Lea Greub - A traditional Georgian tablecloth on the head of a young Georgian woman, Tbilisi 2023.
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A traditional Georgian tablecloth on the head of a young Georgian woman, Tbilisi 2023.

© Lea Greub - Image from the No Georgian Dream photography project
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Multimedia artist andcurator Gvantsa Jishkarianiat Station Square UndergroundMarket. Women artists in Georgia can experience restrictions on freedom of expression due to state censorship, laws against art deemed ‘offensive’ or other mechanisms. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - Image from the No Georgian Dream photography project
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Performance artist Ana Gubeladze in the abandoned State Theatre for Music and Theatre. She dances at many events such as drag shows and techno parties and is very politically active. She has given up trying to please the people of Georgia; she wants to provoke. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - The artist Tina Elbakidzin her living room. Tbilisi, 2023.
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The artist Tina Elbakidzin her living room. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - Image from the No Georgian Dream photography project
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Fashion show by GOD ERA at the Fashion Week in Tbilisi. Nino Goderidze, the head designer (not pictured), is an important supporter of the queer scene in Tbilisi. Because of her role and visibility, she repeatedly receives death threats, especially online. Tbilisi, 2023.

© Lea Greub - A block of flats in the Saburtalo district of Tbilisi, 2022.
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A block of flats in the Saburtalo district of Tbilisi, 2022.