Tamta Gokadze: Tkibuli

Tkibuli is a small mining town surrounded by picturesque mountains with dense spruce forests. In Georgia, despite its small area, everyone knows this town. Tkibuli, which might otherwise be a popular winter resort, is regularly reported in the local media for frequent accidents and deaths in the local coal mine.

In the collective consciousness of Georgians, Tkibuli has become synonymous with the mine. Because of the distorted image created by media craving for sensations, most Georgians have already forgotten that under the name of Tkibuli there is also a city where real people live. This project aims to push the mine into the background and return the town and its inhabitants to the centre of attention.

It’s a city of stark contrasts. The river, a natural wonder, turns blood-red every day due to the mine’s activity. The city is marred by shabby walls and the disappearance of hope in now-closed factories.

On the other hand, local people are prepared to wade through deep snow every day just to reach drinking water wells. Local actors protect a small island of culture in the unheated building of the local theatre, while owners of small family shops work from morning to late evening.

Tkibuli symbolises both hopelessness and determination.