Under the Phasis' Sun documents Poti, a port on Georgia’s Black Sea coast. Poti sits in the shadow of Batumi, where investments and tourists flow. The place that once held promise, among the port cities of the world, Poti is distinguished by its poverty and has seen an exodus of young people seeking opportunities elsewhere.

The photographs are accompanied by poetry, written between 2022 and 2023, by Teona Mkheidze, a Poti-born poet and artist I met during the residency, who has since left the city. 

The series was created as part of art residency “Black Sea” (შავი ზღვა) and was part of a group exhibition in Poti, Georgia from 15 to 23 December 2023.

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*Phasis was an ancient Greek colony near modern-day Poti in the region of Colchis, known in mythology as the destination of Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece.