Photographer Natela Grigalashvili will present a new solo exhibition titled Whither Are You Flying, O Cloud? The Fereydani Trace: Four Centuries Later at TBC Concept Gallery, running from 6 June to 15 September, 2026.
The project is inspired by a symbolic conversation recorded during Grigalashvili’s travels in Fereydani, where a local resident recalled her mother’s words while looking at clouds in the sky.
“Whither are you flying, O cloud? Who knows, maybe you will fly over the mountains of Georgia?” the mother is quoted as saying, expressing a lifelong longing for a homeland she had never seen.
The exhibition explores the history of Fereydani Georgians, who were forcibly deported in the early 17th century under Shah Abbas and have lived for four centuries in Iran’s Isfahan province while preserving their Georgian identity and language.
Grigalashvili’s work is also informed by the 1894 writings of Lado Aghniashvili, who was the first Georgian researcher to travel to Iran in search of the “lost” Georgian communities.
The photographer’s series reflects on cultural memory, isolation, and the emotional ties between past and present generations of Fereydani Georgians.
Grigalashvili, who has worked in documentary photography for more than 30 years, is known for long-term projects focused on regional communities, identity, and social transformation.
The exhibition will open on 6 June between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM.
