The Black Sea

An Exhibition by Florian Bachmeier, Ramin Mazur, and n-ost

Florian Bachmeier, Ramin Mazur

The Black Sea is a geographic area that has always both separated and united cultures and peoples. It is situated in a region where some of the countries, such as Bulgaria and Romania, are already members of the European Union, while others are still waiting for admission. Of the latter, some are currently witnessing their citizens mounting the barricades to achieve this, as in the Ukraine.
Our project is conceived as a photographic survey dedicated to the Black Sea, both as protagonist and as a background driving force. Among other things, the exhibition presents images of the Crimean Tatars and their struggle for a collective identity; portraits of Old Believers and Lipovans in southern Ukraine, who contend with identity conflicts every day; and people living in the Danube Delta in Romania who are trying to hold onto their traditional way of life. People and scenes from the separatist republic of Transnistria are also on view, as is life on Bulgaria’s beaches.