Meanwhile Across the Mountain

Jens Olof Lasthein (1964)

Borderlands and shifting identities within post-Soviet Caucasus, shaped by historical conflicts and unresolved territorial disputes.

Description

Jens Olof Lasthein's Meanwhile Across the Mountain (2009-2015) explores the Caucasus region, a complex borderland between Europe and Asia that has long been marked by socio-political turmoil. This area, once part of the Soviet Union, now consists of independent states and contested territories such as South Ossetia, Dagestan, and Chechnya. Through his panoramic, wide-angle compositions, Lasthein captures the daily lives of the region’s inhabitants, revealing the lasting impact of war, isolation, and political uncertainty. The project's thematic core lies in the interplay between identity, displacement, and resilience, portraying individuals caught in a space where the past lingers and the future remains uncertain.

Visually, Meanwhile Across the Mountain is distinguished by Lasthein’s use of a Widelux panoramic camera, producing a 140-degree wide-angle field of view that enhances the depth and complexity of his compositions. His technique often results in layered scenes, where multiple interactions unfold simultaneously, offering a dynamic and immersive perspective. The muted color palette, dominated by cool tones and subtle contrasts, reinforces the melancholic and somber atmosphere of the project. The occasional use of contre-jour lighting adds depth and starkness, emphasizing the isolation of his subjects within vast, desolate environments.

Lasthein’s methodology is rooted in intuitive shooting and close engagement with his subjects. His work is neither staged nor posed, relying instead on organic encounters and spontaneous moments to reflect the lived realities of the people in the region. He avoids the aestheticization of hardship, instead prioritizing truthfulness and empathy in his representation of the Caucasus. The panoramic format allows him to encapsulate entire social scenes within a single frame, echoing the cinematographic influences of directors like Sergio Leone and Akira Kurosawa.

The project has received critical acclaim, with particular praise for its unique documentary style and technical mastery. The series from Abkhazia, included in Meanwhile Across the Mountain, earned Lasthein the Leica Oskar Barnack Award in 2010. Works from the series have been exhibited at Galleri Kontrast, Stockholm (2017), and Fotoforum, Innichen/San Candido (2018), among other venues.

Behind the work

Upon arriving in Tbilisi at 3 a.m., Lasthein found himself in a tense situation at passport control. The officer scrutinized his passport and questioned whether he had been in Abkhazia—a breakaway region that Georgia considers part of its territory. His prior travel to Abkhazia could have led to deportation, but his press credentials ultimately saved him. Later, he learned that had he arrived just six months earlier, under the previous Georgian administration, he would have been sent home immediately.

In Abkhazia, Lasthein experienced firsthand the consequences of its political isolation. Petrol shortages plagued daily life, forcing taxi drivers to call around to find fuel before agreeing to a ride. At one point, while photographing people queuing for fuel, he was arrested by an angry policeman and taken to a station. Though he was released a few hours later, these frequent run-ins with the authorities repeatedly shattered the trust he carefully built with locals.

During his travels in Kabardino-Balkaria, Lasthein managed to win over a skeptical woman who initially accused him of wanting to portray only "rubbish, dirt, and decay." After discussing local foods—such as khychiny (a traditional Balkarian stuffed flatbread) and ayran (a fermented dairy drink)—her demeanor changed, and she even invited him to photograph her family.

While documenting life in Dagestan, Lasthein had a tense encounter with local security forces. A zealous policeman detained him and called in an officer from the Russian FSB (Federal Security Service) to interrogate him about his photography and political stance. The officer asked him outright whether Sweden viewed Russia’s annexation of Crimea as an act of aggression. Navigating the delicate situation, Lasthein gave a diplomatic, non-committal answer to avoid escalating the tension.

Quotes by the photographer

"It works the best when I am at a place and among people I’m curious about; when there are things I understand as well as things that mystify me; where I feel at home as well as being a stranger; when I’m safe and unprotected at the same time – then there is a good chance that the necessary magic will come out when I start working."

"What I do is simply following the tradition of documentary photography: exploiting the surrounding world to investigate and interpret some thoughts or feelings which puzzle me. When I start a project, I don’t know what I’m looking for—that’s the adventure of it. That also means I am dependent on getting impressions from the outside to keep things moving inside. With luck, this process opens up the flow of an expression that mirrors the clash between reality and my imagination."

"I enjoy the possibility of combining several actions in one frame, as well as being able to show both the action itself and a wider view of the stage where it takes place."

"Trust yourself and your immediate feelings and emotions—your intuition. As simple as that. When photographing, never ask yourself why a specific person or light or situation attracts you, just throw yourself into it."

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