Photographer Captures the Crumbling Architecture of Post-Soviet Abkhazia

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

Stockroom in an administrative building.

Architectural photographer Aurélien Villette has spent the last nine years traveling to different countries in order to document how architecture manifests cultural change. After voyaging to the region of Abkhazia, he brings back two series of work that display this often forgotten conflict area.

Abkhazia is a partially recognized state on the Black Sea coast. The United Nations and Georgia consider it part of Georgia, while Russia and a few other countries recognize it as independent. This makes Abkahzia, which was an unrecognized state for most of its existence, one of several post-Soviet frozen conflict zones.

Working within this context, Villette's two series—both devoid of humans—speaks to an area in limbo. Left falling into decadent decay, his work shows the evolution in a state without resolution.

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

Old rotunda in a restaurant on the top of Sokhumi mountain. Sokhumi is a city on the coast of the Black Sea. It is the capital of the partially recognized Republic of Abkhazia

His first series Topophilia—Abkhazia, captures Stalin era monuments built prior to 1955. “This abandoned monumental architecture becomes almost unreal or imaginary, like something out of a storybook, as it enters a state of decay,” Villette shares. “The peculiar, detached atmosphere that surrounds these structures reinforces the feeling of ‘belonging to nowhere' that pervades this whole territory as they wait for international recognition beyond Russia.”

Instead, Heteroclite Voyage—Abkhazia is part of larger project started four years ago that includes images from a variety of countries. Here, man-made structures lay in abandon, leaving themselves to a natural upheaval that mimics Abkhazia's political status. “The quick movement from one piece of the region's history to another illustrates the jarring series of upheavals that Abkhazia has experienced in the last 100 years,” the photographer explains. “These structures speak; they tell a story based on approximations, propaganda, souvenirs, and stories that are passed from person to person.”

The first part of Villette's series captures the Stalin era monuments of Abkhazia, a post-Soviet frozen conflict zone on the Black Sea coast.

Stalin era architecture abkhazia

Gate City, Sokhumi.

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

Georgian parliament, Sokhumi.

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

Another of the several flats along the Black Sea.

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

View of the Black Sea.

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

Coffee shop, Pitsunda, Abkhazia.

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

Refectory Pioneer‘s camp.

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

Railway Station hall, Sokhumi.

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

Theater, Gagra.

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

Sanatorium, Sokhumi.

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

Hotel, Gagra.

The architectural photographer's second series shows man-made structures in abandon, mirroring the upheaval to the state.

post soviet frozen conflict zone abkhazia

Little culture house close to an old Soviet ferris wheel and other Soviet facilities.

Stalin era architecture abkhazia

View of ghost town in the Tkvarcheli valley, Abkhazia.

Stalin era architecture abkhazia

Oshamshira region.

Aurélien Villette: WebsiteInstagram
h/t: [Lens Culture]

All images via Aurélien Villette.

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content