Back
After The Heavy Rain
nestan abdushelishvili
Georgia
In the late 90s there were few places where one could go as a kid and have fun. Tbilisi zoo was one of them. While skipping the school, me and my friends would go there often. By that time this place had no much meaning, it was just a place to hide.
I have not been to the zoo since childhood, until my kid got 3-4 years old. After almost 20years gap, revisiting this place got me into a big emotional mess. I started to go there for my photo projects, at first, I was obsessed with the architecture of the cages. Later in 2015 Tbilisi flood happened. It resulted in around 20 peoples and in half of the zoo’s animals’ deaths. Some of the wild animals escaped from the zoo and were roaming in the city, just like in Hollywood movies or animations. For me it got more meaning to observe the life of the zoo after the flood. From a happy childhood attraction, it has transformed into a saddest place, which is located in the city center, surrounded by highways and constructions. We go there and take our kids, as if we are getting them used to have fun in a most primitive way.