Heliopolis was the first naturist village in Europe, founded in the 1930s on the “Île du Levant” island in the French Mediterranean. In the 1950s the French military also began using the island and till this very day a fenced off missile testing base occupies 90% of its surface.
Intrigued by these two opposite worlds existing side by side, Marie Capesius went to meet the occupants of Heliopolis and to explore its history. Inspired by the story of Adam and Eve, she questions the notion of paradise. In fact, did paradise ever exist? Or instead, has it been lost, and can it be regained?
Marie Capesius (*1989, France) lives and works as an artist in Luxembourg. She graduated from Ostkreuz photography school in Berlin and works with analogue photography, video, text, music and performance.
Exhibition view
Photos © Mike Zenari