Somewhere Else: Limbo on the Balcony of Europe
(2025 - Ongoing)
One sometimes overlooked side effect of the Ukraine War is the enormous displacement of people from both Belarus and Russia, due to increased repression. Since 2022 large numbers of dissidents and oppositionists from both of these countries have fled to Georgia, as it was the quickest, and one of the only paths to safety.
However they are not granted asylum nor residence, so they must stay there in prolonged uncertainty, living effectively as permanent tourists. Everyone does the visa-run once a year over the border. Everyone knows they don't have a future in this place. For most, returning home is not an option - some await prison sentences, while others can't imagine life in a closed regime for themselves and their children. And over the last year, Georgia itself is sliding into authoritarian rule, adding further uncertainty.
This project explores a precarious situation for Europeans who wish for the freedoms enjoyed across the EU, but who instead have been pushed out to the edge, to the so-called “balcony of Europe". It is a story of volatility and trying to survive in the present moment, but also one of resilience. How does one cope, survive and make a life in a place that will never be home, and is becoming less secure all the time? This project has been partly supported by the European Union.
