Colin Aherne

The photos were made throughout Georgia in the autumn of 2022 and spring of 2023. What started out as photographing a trip across the country, developed into an observation of the ongoing tensions in Georgia following the influx of Russian immigrants after the start of the war in Ukraine.

Since February 2022, many Russian immigrants have moved there. Some are availing of the relaxed visa requirements so they can leave Russia for a new life, while others are using Georgia as a springboard to other European countries. Although the tracking is not accurate, as of September 2022 it is estimated that since the start of the war in Ukraine, more that 200,000 Russians have arrived in Georgia, a country with a population of just 3.7 million. Tensions are high, the cost of living has dramatically increased and for the locals, it has resurfaced a lot of painful memories of the war in 2008.

“They are using this country as a comfort zone and Georgia is dying, they are all coming and we’re just standing and watching, what can we do?”

Told through three perspectives-local Georgians, Russian nationals, and foreign visitors, the photos look at the complicated relationship between people and place amid a backdrop of political tension.

The work also consists of music I composed for the project, incorporating field recordings made in Georgia.