Khatia Nikabadze

I am Khatia Nikabadze, a documentary photographer and filmmaker from Georgia, South Caucasus. I completed bachelor's degree in philosophy with a minor program in classical philology, and master's degree in educational psychology. In different years, I worked in private and public schools, both in Tbilisi and in mountainous regions, in small villages. I taught Georgian language to Azerbaijani students, I was a tutor and also a teacher of students with special needs. During my master's degree, I worked as a librarian in the library of Ilia State University. 

My active working period in documentary photography and short documentaries covers the years 2019 - 2021. During this time I lived in Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti and photographed the daily life of local Azerbaijanis and Doukhobors and their special days - holidays, rituals, customs. My photos have participated in a number of international and local competitions and exhibitions.

Now I am raising my first child, Niko.

I think I've been a photographer all my life without having a camera or knowing photography. My memory is filled with pictures that it has captured forever from my deepest childhood. I tried to turn documentary photography into a profession quite late. But still, all this time, I am always busy with other work and in my imagination or in my dreams I'm going to photograph wherever my heart takes me. That's why I sometimes call myself a mental photographer and traveler.