CONFLICTED CAUCASUS

Georgia, Azerbaijan & Armenia 2022 - 2023

The Caucasus does not come to rest.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia became independent. Without the Russian power of order, conflicts erupted that had been suppressed for decades: In 1994, Armenia won the war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region against Azerbaijan. The conflict over the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was decided in Russia's favor in the 5-Day War in 2008.

After a period of relative stability, the Caucasus countries are currently facing radical upheavals: Georgia took in about 30,000 Ukrainian war refugees in 2022 and over 100,000 exiled Russians seeking to escape military mobilization and political persecution.

Azerbaijan, which has become very rich in gas over the past few years and has massively upgraded its military, initially reconquered large areas in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. The attack on this region in September 2023 eventually led to the exodus of its approximately 100,000 inhabitants toward Armenia. While Azerbaijan is bursting with military strength and nationalist self-confidence, Armenia faces a tragic dynamic: Abandoned by its protecting power, Russia, trapped between two arch-enemies, and with no prospects for Western integration.

To gain a first-hand understanding of the Caucasian mosaic, photographer Arthur Bauer and journalist Ira Peter went to this tension-filled region in 2022 and 2023. They encountered nationalism and the cult of war, post-Soviet heritage and generational conflicts, activism and commitment.

EXHIBITIONS
2023 - LANGER. Space for Photography [solo exhibition]