Ushguli. A village at the crossroads 9789941858598

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USHGULI

GIA CHKHATARASHVILI

EUR 39,80 1665665

CHKHATARA

Gia Chkhatarashvili. Ushguli bestellt 08.10.24 BS2547937

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Dedicated to the memory of Jean Gallus

AWARD-WINNER, "FIFTY CROWS" INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY SAN FRANCISCO, 2004

USHGULI A VILLAGE AT THE CROSSROADS Photographs by

GIA CHKHATARASHVILI

Tbilisi. Georgia 2023

This book was published with the support of Omie and Larry Kerr

During my flight on my first trip to Georgia I happened to meet a representative of the United Nations World Food Program . During our conversation I asked if there were any Georgian photographers I could meet, and she replied, "You have to meet Gia," and so I did, and we became friends. Gia is a modest man, and it was not until several weeks into our friendship that he showed me his photographs of the Svanetian people in their Caucasus mountain village, Ushguli, the highest inhabited village in Europe, that dates back some two thousand years . What those photographs revealed to me was acompassionate, insightful and dedicated photographer whose images embodied sensitivity and insight, as well as the beauty and austerity of a way of life in this village caught in the midst of change in a modernizing world. With his work, Gia wants to preserve the cultural values he believes should be cherished and remembered. I would agree, not only for the Georgian people, but for all of us around the world as we rush forward at a dizzying pace into an unpredictable future that promises flying cars and trucks without drivers. In today's world, everyone believes they are a photographer as we download a trillion photographs each year, some beautiful, some personal, and some for reasons unknown. For me, Gia Chkhatarashvili's work in this volume is labor done with love, compassion and respect. It represents the best that photography has to offer. Paul Calhoun, Photographer Assistant Professor of Art Concordia University, Wisconsin

USHGULI 1990

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GRANDMOTHER'S MORNING 1991

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MOTHER AND CHILDREN 1993

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BOY WITH A CAR DOOR l 993

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LILE, LANA AND GRANDMOTHER 2001

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BRINGING HOME THE FIREWOOD 1990

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OLD FRIENDS 1998

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ZAURI WITH HIS FAMILY AND STUFFED GOATS ON THE BALCONY 1995

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MARY AND JENARI 1998

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CART DRIVER AND HIS FAMILY 1995

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GOATS IN ABANDONED HOUSE 1998

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HAVING A HAIRCUT 2000

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MOURNING 1990

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UTILE NINO'S BATH 2000

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MORNING FOR THE FARMER'S FAMILY 1993

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PORTRAIT OF HUSBAND AND WIFE 2000

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WAITING FOR WINTER 1995

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SVANETIAN STOVE 1996

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THE DOCTOR'S WIDOW MOURNING IN THE CEMETERY 1998

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PORTRAIT OF A UTILE GIRL 2000

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HORSES NEAR THE ENGURI RIVER 1997

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CHILDREN IN CLASS l 996

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GIVING THANKS TO ST GEORGE 1996

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A VIEW OF GENERATIONS 2000

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BOY WITH A WOUNDED BIRD 1999

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ONE-YEAR MEMORIAL AND DINNER FOR THE DEAD 2000

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IN THE FARMER'S YARD 1998

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END OF THE DAY 1997

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STONE-THROWING COMPETITION 2000

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FIGHTING RAMS 2000

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OFFERING THE HEART AND LUNGS OF A SACRIFICED ANIMAL TO GOD 2000

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VILLAGE PRAYERS FOR OFFERINGS 2000

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AFTERNOON SHADOWS 1999

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ONE DAY IN THE VILLAGE 1999

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TH E SACRIFICE OF A BULL TO COMMEMORATE THE SOUL OF THE DECEASED 2000

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CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE CENTER 1991

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LAMARIA CHURCH AND MT. SHKHARA 2000

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VILLAGE GYMNASTICS 2000

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LAMPROBA HOLIDAY PRAYER AND FEAST 2000

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NIO WOMEN PLEDGING FRIENDSHIP 2000

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LEAPING OVER A BONFIRE ON THE LAMPROBA HOLIDAY 2000

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SACRIFICE FOR GUESTS' ARRIVAL 1997

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SACRED PRAYER DANCE IN THE SNOW 2000

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NIGHT PRAYER 1999

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WINTER TRANSPORTATION 1998

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GIRL FROM USHGULI l 999

Photo by Rainer Unkel

Gia Chkhatarashvili

Native to Georgia, Gia Chkhatarashvili was born in 1959 and is a self-taught photographer. After graduating from Tbilisi State University with a Degree in Philosophy, he discovered photography as a young man. His freelance career began in 1990, and he became a member of the Photographer's Union of Georgia. Over the last ten years he has carried out photo assignments for the United Nations World Food Program, the Norwegian Refugee Council, The Georgian Times, and the German magazine, Wostok. In 1999 Gia won First Prize in the Georgian Red Cross Association Photo Competition, and in 2001 he received First Prize in the International Photo Contest in Saarbrucken, Germany. In 2004 he was awarded for his work from the prestigious Fifty Crows Foundation for Documentary Photography for Social Change in San Francisco, USA, and in 2005 he received Honorable Mention in National Geographic's "All Roads" Photography Program. In addition to Georgia, Gia Chkhatarashvili has exhibited in the United States, Germany, Poland, Norway and Switzerland, and currently lives and works as a freelance photographer in Tbilisi.

EDITOR Baia Tsikoridze DESIGN Gega Paksashvili TEXT EDITOR Mary Ellen Chatwin PHOTO PROCESSING Lasha Tsikhiseli [email protected]

©

GIA CHKHATARASHVILI

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED OR REPUBLISHED WHOLLY OR IN PART, WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR

FIRST EDITION

ISBN 978-9941-8-5859-8