If you are a freak,
you are just perfect.
But in this city,
the lights are just as bright,
as the shadow is dark.


A project about the enchanted everyday life of the queer community in New Orleans in the permanent spiral between catastrophe and empowered celebration.

New Orleans has always been a city full of extremes. At least since the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, people here have lived in an environment that is often crumbling, always threatened, and defective in many ways. Maybe that‘s why those who can’t fit into the system America anywhere else. Queer travelers who have been through a lot in their young lives. Katrina created gaps that provided easily accessible shelter. Fueled by the tolerant and warm-hearted spirit of the local urban population, a collective of unique people was able to flourish. A rebellious and unruly subculture for which artistic expression is vital to survival.

The work shows the clinking and flickering of this magical world on a constant tipping point. It seeks closeness to the wayward protagonists, who have long since become friends, and takes part in their everyday life. An everyday life full of intensity and chaos, where the lights are as bright as the shadows are dark. Using documentary photography as a base, Victoria Jung experiments in her projects with other forms of artistic expression and collaborations. For this exhibition, too, a special presentation concept was developed together with curator and interior designer Anne Kiefer and the gallery.