PHOTOGRAPHER FROM THE FOURTH FLOOR
Tbilisi. Soviet Past Research Laboratory invites you to the opening of the exhibition PHOTOGRAPHER FROM THE FOURTH FLOOR on December 6th at 16:00 at the Artarea exhibition space.
In a huge black suitcase bought at the flea market in 2022, we found up to 500 glass negatives in wide format. After a long process of digitization, the archive of an unknown photographer unveiled a new and unique perspective of 1930’s Tbilisi, as well as various other parts of Georgia.
Beyond the street scenes, city views, Soviet parades, portraits, family situations, work environments, resorts, pastoral life, and sporting events, we glimpse something more. In these frozen moments depicting seemingly active, vibrant, joyful, content, and well-disposed people, one can still feel the omnipresence of totalitarianism. Stalin’s grim face looks at us from the walls, leaders of various political influences have incarnated into street posters, and the diamond-shaped collars of men in uniforms flash in front of our eyes. The faces of citizens who witnessed and survived the unrelenting political terror, famine, and deficits of the 1920s and 1930s bear the traces of that time. And we, as viewers, know that they, together with the photographer, are heading towards the end of the 1930s, towards the unprecedented catastrophe – towards the Great Soviet Terror.
Therefore, this photo heritage from an unknown man, showcasing the vision of an independent and professional photographer, can be seen as a message for future generations.
Source: Soviet Past Research Laboratory
