In the photo series “Motherland”, the photographer Tatsiana Tkachova immerses herself in the microcosm of her own family in Belarus. In this very personal work, she documents her mother’s life and explores the connections among women in her family. The topics that fascinate her are the relationship between generations, what it means to be a mother, and why childhood memories influence us our whole life.
At the heart of the series is the house where generations of her family have grown up. Now her mother lives there, regularly visited by her sister. The images of her daily routine are deliberately made extremely monotonous, without any movement, creating the impression that life has stopped. She took the first image in 2018 and is continuing to work on this story.
“In my story, I revert to the subject of roots and memory, which affects every one of us and remains in our minds forever. While documenting my mother’s life, it seems as if I can recognize myself in it.”
Tatsiana Tkachova is an independent Belarusian journalist working with documentary photography, video, archive, and multimedia. She’s living in Hamburg since 2021. The most important part of her professional activities is devoted to personal, long-term projects that are focused on women’s rights. She is a recipient of World Press Photo 2020, and others.
This exhibition is taking place within the framework of the Tage des Exils and being supported by the Foundation Alfred Toepfer.
The Millerntorwache will be open from Wednesday to Friday between 3 pm and 5 pm, and on the weekend between 3 pm and 6 pm. Additionally, on April 22 the exhibition will take part in the Long Night of Museums with a special programme.
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