THE DOUBLE INNER & OUTER BEAUTY OF TWINS NOW

As we move through Gemini, we are celebrating the double beauty of twins. Here, we are featuring the works of photographers Ariko Inaoka and Kira & Artem, as they document the exceptional qualities of twins they encounter, each in their own extraordinary style.

ARIKO INAOKA

Photographer Ariko Inaoka began to document the lives of Icelandic twins Erna and Hrefna in 2006, when she first traveled to their country. The girls were 6 years old at the time.

Inaoka has returned every year since then, to capture their evolution and growth.

At once ethereal and hyper-real, Inaoka’s images are both soft and bracing. We can see, as we look through the series, how the twin sisters’ relationship with each other changes, as they grow older.

Set against the extremely beautiful rugged landscapes of Iceland, the twins’ inner light shines through the misty haze. Inaoka scouts and selects each location then collaborates with Erna and Hrefna. Both are ballet dancers, so their poses are often quite lyrical.

Inaoka aims to continue the project until the twins are 16 years old, documenting their sweet transition from childhood through mid-adolescence.

“I often hear that identical twins have telepathic connections between them. This is true with Erna and Hrefna,” Inaoka says. “I have never seen such a powerful connection between any two human beings. They say to me, ‘We dream same dreams sometimes’.”

KIRA & ARTEM

Photographer and writer pair Kira and Artem ( Kira Korogodina & Artyom Minushkin) travel across Europe, taking photos of twins they meet along the way in their ongoing project, Among Twins.

Kira takes the photos, while Artem write the stories about each pair of twins they encounter.

The photo duo hopes to expand their project globally and meet as many twins as possible. Check out their IndieGoGo to learn how you can support their Among Twins project.

“We create photo articles, in which we transmit the essence of person, her inner world, character, state of mind…,” they explain.

Kira and Artem spend many hours with each set of twins, learning about their lives and their relationships.

They ask: “How twins belong to each other? What a mystery of nature these twins? Do they feel each other at a distance? Are there among them some kind of mystical connection?” among other questions.

Each set of twins has a unique history.

Also, check out the incredibly moving documentary, René & I, a true story about twins Irene Hizme and her twin brother Rene Slotkin, who survived the unsurvivable -- human experimentation at the hands of Nazi doctors during the Holocaust. The film was directed by award-winning filmmaker Gina Angelone, and executive produced by Leora Kahn and Zeva Oelbaum, all mothers of twins themselves. René and Irene both went on to each marry twins.

Read more about Beautiful Doubles and Twins this week.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Ariko Inaoka. Erna & Hrefna.
2. Image: by Ariko Inaoka. Erna & Hrefna.
3. Image: by Ariko Inaoka. Erna & Hrefna.
4. Image: by Ariko Inaoka. Erna & Hrefna.
5. Image: by Ariko Inaoka. Erna & Hrefna.
6. Image: by Ariko Inaoka. Erna & Hrefna.
7. Image: by Kira Korogodina, of Kira & Artem. Among Twins. Anastasia & Elizabeth.
8. Image: by Kira Korogodina, of Kira & Artem. Among Twins. Maria & Julia.
9. Image: by Kira Korogodina, of Kira & Artem. Among Twins. Paul & Peter.
10. Image: by Kira Korogodina, of Kira & Artem. Among Twins. Anastasia & Elizabeth.
11. Image: by Kira Korogodina, of Kira & Artem. Among Twins. Anna & Vera.
12. Image: by Ariko Inaoka. Erna & Hrefna.
13. Image: by BN App - Download now!
14. Image: by Ariko Inaoka. Erna & Hrefna.