ATLAS of countries that "don't exist"
Unbeknownst to many, today’s world hides a multitude of territories that have proclaimed themselves independent but - for a variety of reasons - have not been recognized by the international community.
An Atlas of Countries that “Don’t Exist” is a photographic project that, starting from the observation of the paradoxical situation of five among these places and the real experience of their inhabitants, explores the characteristics that determine the identity of a country and its people. Through an imaginary journey to real places, this work stimulates reflection on the concept of self-determination and nationality at a time in history when borders of all kinds-genetic, linguistic, cultural, economic, fiscal, gender-are constantly being redefined and becoming increasingly hybrid
The Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, signed in 1933 by 19 countries belonging to the American continent, was intended to regulate F.D.Roosevelt’s imperialist tendencies.
Still in force today, it proposes a conventional model of four rules underlying the definition of a state, namely:
- a permanent population
- a defined territory
- an exclusive governmental power
- the ability to maintain relations with other states
Yet, a little further on, Article 3 declares that: “the status of a State is independent of the recognition of other countries.”.
This Atlas focuses its research on the physical, historical, cutural and political characteristics through which these territories and their inhabitants compose their national and personal identities.
On the one hand, it goes in search of the elements that constitute a person’s identity: the way one comes into the world, the way one is preserved after death, one’s family, the celebration of rites of passage; on the other it investigates the aspects underlying the national identity: the local territory, flora, fauna, historical places, political-administrative places, folklore, traditions, language, and the most locally famous people.
REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH, REGION OF MARTUNI
View from the foot of the Tnjri, oldest tree in Artsakh (approx. 2040 years old), situated near the village of Skhtorashen.
PRIDNESTROVIE MOLDAVIAN REPUBLIC, TIRASPOL
Cyril and Daniel are newborn twins from PMR. Derived from the Latin natio (from nasci = to be born), the term Nation retains today the original archaic meaning of ‘birth’, ‘lineage’; thus, it designates a group united by ties of kinship. From this, by extension, derives the modern meaning of nation which designates a human group to which common origins are attributed.
“What is that makes something exist or not?”
CATALONIA, VILLAFRANCA DE PENEDES .
A man drinking from the “Porron”
SAHRAWI ARAB DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, SMARA
Camel market
CATALONIA, TARRAGONA, PALAU DELS CONGRES
Mister Body building Catalonia 2018
WESTERN SAHARA
During the Sahara Marathon, a running race that unites the five wilayas
WESTERN SAHARA, MARKET OF SMARA
.An everyday purchase at the market of Smara using moroccandinars. Despite not having a currency of their own, Saharawipeople have invented a local exchange rate in order to price theirgoods locally.
REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH, VANK, MARTAKERT REGION.
Thanks to the patronage of Leon Hayrapetian, philanthropist and timber magnatefrom Vank, this peculiar little town differs from any other village in the world thanksto its very special and surreal appearance. The redevelopment plan he supportedhas seen many eccentric buildings spring up in Vank, including a zoo and twoluxury hotels, one of which is in the shape of the Titanic. Here a copy of the David
The Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States was signed by nineteen countries of the American continent in 1933, with the aim of regulating the imperialist tendencies.
CYPRUS, VAROSHA
Varosha was the most turistic spot of the island, until the turkish occupation (1974). Nowadays it is a ghost town ruled by the Turkish Army.
RABUNI, Western Sahara.
CATALUNIA.
PMR
PRM , Cimitery
However, Article 3 states that “the condition of the State is independent of the recognition of other countries”.
WESTERN SAHARA, TIFARITI
The village of Tifariti is part of what Polisario Front (Saharawi rebel national liberation movement) call the Liberated Territories, and Morocco call the Buffer Zone. It has been the de facto temporary capital of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic since the government moved there in 2008 from Bir Lehlou.
TURKISH REPUBLIC OF NORTH CYPRUS
Şenel Bektaş, Miss North Cyprus 2019
WESTERN SAHARA, RABUNI
Inside the Saharawi War Museum
TURKISH REPUBLIC OF NORTH CYPRUS, RIZOKARPAZO
The nature reserve of white donkeys, protected species of northern Cyprus
CATALONIA, LLORET DE MAR
The Catalan Paella is a “mar i munt”.
REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH, VANK, MARTAKERT REGION
Thanks to the patronage of Leon Hayrapetian, philanthropist and timber magnate from Vank, this peculiar little town differs from any other village in the world thanks to its very special and surreal appearance. The redevelopment plan he supported
has seen many eccentric buildings spring up in Vank, including a zoo and two luxury hotels, one of which is in the shape of the Titanic.
TURKISH REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS.
PRIDNESTROVIE MOLDAVIAN REPUBLIC, TIRASPOL.
During a wedding
PRIDNESTROVIE MOLDAVIAN REPUBLIC, TIRASPOL
The priest gives his bless during the Easter mass.
SAHRAWI ARAB DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, AUSERD
A sahrawi girl in her living room
REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH, STEPANAKERT
Opening ceremony of the international non FIFA football World cup.
SAHRAWI ARAB DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, SMARA
a Sahrawi’s bride in her traditional dress
TURKISH REPUBLIC OF NORTHERN CYPRUS, RIZOKARPAZO PENINSULA
Peter and Sarah are two young volounters from the UK. They decided to spend 6 months working for “Spot”, an association who takes care of the preservation of Caretta Caretta’s, the sea turtle species originary from North Cyprus. Here they are seen on the beach in the night right after releasing the newborn babies in the water. We only were allowed to use a red light, as baby turtles can be killed from any bright source of light.
SAHRAWI ARAB DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, RABUNI
At the entrance to the Saharawi Parliament in the town of Rabuni. The SNC is a unicameral body, with 53 seats, elected every two years in General People’s Congresses by delegates from the Saharawi refugee camps. The 35% of the parliamentarians were women.
REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH, STEPANAKERT NATIONAL AIRPORT
Stepanakert airport has been operating since 2011. Several employees work here, but no aircraft have yet landed on these runways. Tensions with neighbouring Azerbaijan have prevented the arrival of aircraft and the conveyor belts are running in vain...
PRIDNESTROVIE MOLDAVIAN REPUBLIC, TIRASPOL STATE UNIVERSITY-
Pankrushev Vasily Afanasievich is one of the oldest professors of the Linguistic faculty of the State University of Pridnestrovie. The State University is dedicated to Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet, writer, artist and political figure. His literary heritage is regarded to be the foundation of modern Ukrainian literature and, to a large extent, the modern Ukrainian language. In PMR the students can choose if attend the University in Romanian or Russian language.
5 Territories : Transnistria, Catalonia, the Republic of Artsakh,
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and Western Sahara.
REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH, VANK, MARTAKERT REGION
On the way to Talish.
In An Atlas of Countries that “don’t exist”, these various geographical contexts and their acts of identity-making are put into conversation.
CATALONIA, BARCELONA During the demonstrations of Oct.1, 2018, celebrating one year after the Catalan Referendum.
PRIDNESTROVIE MOLDAVIAN REPUBLIC, DUBOSSARY - “Mound of Glory”, on the way from Tiraspol to Rybnitsa, a tank in memorial of the World War II
By exposing this paradox, the project
hopes to challenge the viewer to question the self-evidence of their own nationhoods.
This project is conceived and realised together with Lavinia Parlamenti.