Felix von der Osten (b. 1989) is a freelance documentary photographer and Drone Pilot from Germany. He is specially interested in social and cultural issues, documenting it with analog large- and medium- format photography, as well with the Wet Plate Collodion process. In 2014 he attended the class »Advanced Visual Storytelling I+II« at the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Aarhus (DK). He currently lives in Cologne and completed his Bachelor in 2016 at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund. Now he attends the Masters program as well. Von der Osten won the »Breakthrough Award« of the Britisch Journal of Photography as well he was named an »Emerging Photographer« by PDN. He also got into various finals of photography competitions as in the ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Awards’ or Magnum’s »30 under 30«. At the end of 2015 he attended the 28th Eddie Adams Workshop (XXVIII). His photographs were published f.e. in CNN, BrandEins, Photographic Museum of Humanity and the GUP Magazin. He also exhibited internationally. In his free time he is a Magician specialized in Slight-of-hand Card Magic.
Mukhiani
Mukhiani is a micro district in Tbilisi, Georgia. It is on the outer most edge of Tbilisi and mostly consists of soviet style concrete buildings made with precast concrete slabs. Here a lot of families live together with very small means and many are jobless. People live with a lack of advancement opportunities as the economic conditions are very poor.
Even though Geogia has a deep drinking culture, many people fill all that free time with drinking, also early during the day. Most often Chacha is served, a very strong home-brewed moonshine, in combination with bread or cucumber. Many Georgians also claim Chacha has medicinal properties and would help one with all kind of illness.
Mukhiani was once covered in oak trees, the Mukha-oak. In the 70s the deforestation and house construction started. First used by the Soviet Army as a Tank Base, it was later transformed into a little settlement. Soon more concrete slabs apartment buildings where built in the 1980s to create and found a new micro-region. Still these old grey buildings are home for generations of Georgians.
To view more of Felix’s work please visit his website.