TIPP: The Georgian Photographer Beso Uznadze

Times ago I had seen the photos from Beso Uznadze ... but today I read a blog. There I could read the writer and photographer Collin Pantall was impressed about his work. And for me it was gso awesome that I could see the photos - abvove all the portraits again. This time I will publishing all links here on georgien.blogspot.com. Enjoy this amazing work!
Besos Website is here www.besouznadze.com

BJP International Photography Prize

Beso Uznadze wins BJP's International Photography Award

Great Photodocumentation: Disappearing Villages
The loss of culture in the post-Soviet Georgia. By Beso Uznadze
On April 9th, 1991, following a national referendum, the Georgian Supreme Soviet declared the independence of Georgia from the Soviet Union. Within weeks, Zviad Gamsaxurdia, Georgia’s first popularly elected President, promised a brighter future for this fledgling mountainous republic. Twelve years later, Georgians tell a story of fear of civil war, economic collapse and impoverishment.

ART: 3rd International Art Prize Arte Laguna for the Georgian Artist: Irina Gabiani (artelagunaprize.com)

Today I had a nice chat with Irina. She has got a huge price in Italy for her artwork. It is amazing! Congratulation for her! More you can read here in the catalog >>>

More Photos from the art are here >>>

PREMI: 3rd International Art Prize Arte Laguna

Special Mention of the President of the Jury for the best foreign Artist (sculpture section)

Virtual Jury Special Prize (sculpture section)

Irina Gabiani was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 1971.After studying at the Academy in Tbilisi, Irina moved to Amsterdam where she studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy (“Free direction” and “Contemporary jewellery”). Irina has lived and worked in Luxembourg since 1998.

The Universe in its holistic essence is the focus of the research of the artist according to whom we all belong to a unique system, to a “big organism” imagined as a kind of complex, interrelated chain, of which we, and everything around us, are a part.

Trying to see beyond what we can perceive with our eyes, going beyond the vision of the world as we use to know, the artist researches the innumerable similarities between the infinitely big and the infinitely small within matter. The two “worlds” look as though they mirror one another. The more we know matter and understand its complexity which escapes us at a simple glance, the more the infinitely small leads us to the universe. For this reason, especially in her recent works, images of the micro and macro universes appear one next to the other and, sometimes, the images from the micro exceed the dimension of those from the macro. Discovering infinite worlds within our every-day surroundings leads the artist to believe that there are other parallel realities in time and space.

In her works, Irina uses drawing, painting, photography and sculpture, often in porcelain or ceramics.

Web site: irina-gabiani.livejournal.com

PHOTOGRAPHER: Justyna Mielnikiewicz - Resident in Georgia

by Ralph Hälbig

Unmistakable not only for me is Justyna Mielnikiewicz an interesting photographer. Anymore she get an award in the catagory of world press photos. I guess she is emotional and rational in her amazing work. In the multi-layered world of the far reaching east euopean areas and central asia is just that her high capacity.
I met Justyna Mielnikiewicz last year short after the war in Tbilisi at the lunchtime. Unfortunatly I don't know her really but sometimes during I made internet researches for my blog I could see her photos about the caucasian life from her own point of view. Last September I could descovered her interesting physiognomy in a cafe in Tbilisi.
I think her photos are very similair to her character. All series of her work are not only a simple documentation of incidents. Justyna Mielnikiewicz has got a high education. Maybe this is also the reason that her photos are severe but just. More or less she is brave and directly. A big advantage is her intelligent cultural view of the immediate situation. She can see at least in both or more directions. I think she can very good realise a complex situation in a work like to capture different aspects like normal life, politics, strange moments for a very good balance in a frame. She is closed to the inhabitants of a country and knows the reasons of the life situations in different nationalities. For example there are a west and east view in the same moment. Furthermore she is also looking for stories with problems between nationalities. Or she can feel the human being in a concret situation in the context of a ambivalent real situation. Moreover is the interesting aspect in her work the skeptical experience. She is taking almost artifical photos with a grain of salt and otherwise she is looking for the archaeological aspect in a situation. In certain respects her work is multiplexing a scientifical, historical and aesthetical photography. This is a very seldom in the journalistic world of mass-medias today.
I mean her sight is a result of her biography. She was born in the communist times of Poland and has experiences in changing of situations and several positions. In the first contact she hasn't probems with complex situations and can stay in action in a hard environment. Eventual she can feel with the people. I hold Justyna Mielnikiewiczs work in high esteem.

more about Justyna Mielnikiewicz:

* www.justmiel.com
* www.justmiel.org
* tudasiuda.blogspot.com
* www.lightstalkers.org/justyna
* www.sputnikphotos.com/justyna-mielnikiewicz
* vervephoto.wordpress.com/2008/07/07/justyna-mielnikiewicz
* www.worldpressphoto.org
* www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk
* www.anzenberger.com
* www.mdf-berlin.de/en/exhibitions/calender/ausstellung/nahtstellen-fotos-fuer-die-pressefreiheit
* www.reporter-ohne-grenzen.de
* www.photoscala.de/Artikel/Nahtstellen-Fotos-fuer-die-Pressefreiheit-2008
* www.nytimes.com/2008/08/19
* www.faz.net/print/Feuilleton/Verblueffende-Fotos-und-eine-Liste-des-Terrors
* www.laif.de/de/article