Nina Duchayne

In this photographic edition, the myth of the heron of Ardea unfolds in three acts. Our project reinterprets its story through a queer lens, revealing other possible interpretations and incarnations. By diverting the tragic legacy towards a sensitive and inclusive aesthetic, we turn the myth into a space that resonates with contemporary identities.

"Built on green hills, the city of Ardea once shone brightly. At its head sat Turnus. Blinded by his love for Lavinia, who was promised to Aeneas, Turnus started a war. But one evening, Aeneas' blade cut through the silence: Turnus fell. Deprived of its king, the city was set ablaze. Nothing remained but ashes. But it was in these ruins that a heron was born. The heron of Ardea. It did not live to replace the city, it was its living echo, its moving trace, the final act of a place that had become a presence. »