Natela Grigalashvili traveled extensively throughout Georgia’s remote provinces to capture village life. While geographic isolation and government neglect pose challenges for village residents, Grigalashvili was inspired by both the country’s natural beauty and its unique culture. Using Georgian alphabet books as a source of inspiration, she arranges the work thematically, introducing each grouping with a letter of the Georgian alphabet that begins a word reflecting that theme.
In 2003, Natela Grigalashvili trained at KulturKontakt in Vienna, Austria. She received first place at the IREX Make a Better World Photo Contest in 2003 and received a special award as a finalist for an Aftermath Project grant. In 2010, the European Center for Ethnic Minorities in Georgia supported Grigalashvili to produce an exhibition and the following year published “Europeans in Georgia.”