New London Exhibition Explores Israel’s Forgotten Caucasian Diaspora

A new exhibition chronicling the lives of Israel’s Caucasian diaspora is set to open in London.

The collection, captured by British photographer James Arthur Allen, focuses on the lives and culture of the Circassian people: a nation displaced by the Ottoman empire in the 19th Century. Uprooted from their homeland in the Caucasus, the Circassian people spread across Israel, Turkey, Syria, Jordan — both integrating into local life, and remaining firmly rooted in their traditions and customs.

Allen created his collection in the Israeli town of Kfar Kama: one of the few remaining settlements where Circassian is taught and spoken. Mixing both portraits with semi-urban landscapes, the exhibition hopes to explore how younger Circassians stay in touch with an ancient culture.

Adiga: Circassians in Israel will be showing at London’s Tabernacle Gallery from 12 – 17 December, supported by the Rebecca Vassie Trust. For more info, see here.