The Caspian Sea is bounded by Iran to the south, Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the west, and Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to the east. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the newly independent states of Central Asia began to exploit the Caspian Sea. The main sources of pollution of the Caspian Sea are, on the one hand, the discovery, exploitation and transfer of oil from the sea and, on the other, sewage, waste and chemical poisoning. Having been forced to leave Iran because of his political and cultural convictions, Javamardi’s work on the Caspian Sea also evokes the contradictions of his home country.

A mobile home campsite in Berk-sur-Mer (Immobile Home), a supermarket parking lot in the countryside

(Hyper Life), a post-industrial town near Amiens (Somme Toute) are the places where he meets people. The mini-stories that accompany the photos are another, more intimate journey, revealing people’s everyday concerns.

Through fragments of light, of sky, a glance upwards, a journey in the bush or along an Italian country road, she shows her vision of this reality. Between family photos, urban reports, aerial images and portraits, Bolol is told to the rhythm of the adventures that took place between 2019 and 2023.

Bolol is therefore a family story, and at the same time a story lived and told by thousands of refugees and migrants. Bolol is a story of gentleness and poetry, but also of distress, risk and injustice. This book is a tribute.