<DIV><p>For over four years, award-winning Ukranian photographer Mila Teshaieva has documented the transformation of the three former Soviet republics on the shores of the Caspian Sea: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. The battle for control of the region's vast oil and gas reserves and the search for a national identity have led to far-reaching changes for the population, the environment, and general social values. Teshaieva's images reveal an atmosphere of insecurity, where people pin their hopes and expectations on a transformation whose direction remains uncertain.</p><p>This series was the winner of the Photolucida's Critical Mass Book Award 2012.</p></DIV>