The Hydra Complex

The Hydra is the monstrous multi-headed serpent that appears in the mythological saga of the labours of Heracles. The second labour ordered by King Eurystheus was to kill the Hydra, the monster wallowing in the marshes of Lerna that emerged only to ravage the country and destroy its herds. This snake-like monster possessed many heads. Five or nine, according to some, a hundred, according to others. One of these heads was immortal. As for the others, the myth insists on the monster’s capacity to regenerate: for every head chopped off, the Hydra would regrow two heads. This series is the result of an inner exploration of such monstrous multiplicity. Punctuated by various self-portraits, it does not follow the triumphal path of the mythological hero, but the much more troubled path of the monster. Produced during a prolonged sick leave due to a devastating burn out, this series attempts to translate into images a subtle movement of regeneration made possible by the appropriation of a “becoming-animal” or a “becoming-monster”. The photographs in this series were taken between 2021 and 2023 during solo trips in relatively isolated natural environments of Western Europe.