StartPoint Prize 2016

Vangjush Vellahu

Two videos in the installation of Vangjush Vellahu document the situation in two so-called “de facto republics” – countries which have not been internationally recognized and continue to struggle for their independence, autonomy and stability: Abkhazia and Northern Cyprus. The artist here becomes chronicler of a troubled political and social situation which has no one correct version or explanation, but the viewpoint of local citizens produces rather surprising geopolitical perspectives. The raw and authentic visual documentation as well as uncensored testimonies of people on the ground contribute to a fresh and unbiased insight into places about whose existence Western civilization finds many reasons to forget.