Jana Islinger
Germany
Droa (It’s Time) – Georgia on the Move
2022
Situated at the easternmost edge of Europe, Georgia grapples with the tensions of a conflict between pro-Western reorientation and the historically Russian sphere of influence, reflected in the entire society. Droa (Georgian: It‘s time) is a photographic exploration of the country’s identity, caught between the dream of Europe, the fear of Russia, and the aftermath of years of oppression. Central to the work is the Soviet Russian legacy and the transition to a supposedly independent system of values. Jana Islinger documents individuals struggling under capitalism and societal change, who find comfort in their faith. Born into an independent Georgia, her subjects fight for a more self-determined life, far from the conservative views of the older generation, and demand closer ties with the European Union. Islinger also addresses the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which fell into a war of secession influenced by Russia. Her photographs portray those who have lost their homeland but not their hope to return as well as various parties and organizations battling internal challenges and powerful elites influenced by Russia aiming to liberalize the country.
