"Fraternal Twins" is a triptych photography project created for the Fine Art Photography class at BSDC (Berlin School of Design and Communication), during my exchange year. In this class, we explored Haitian Vodou and its Lwas, and I chose Ghede Masaka, the Lwa of both death and fertility, who is also a fraternal twin, the central inspiration for my work.
Ghede Masaka embodies the duality of life and death, symbolized by carrying a bag of leaves that represents both growth and decay. As a fraternal twin, this Lwa reflects the complex balance between opposing forces, which resonated with me as I sought to explore themes of family and healing in my photography.
I used natural elements like leaves and twigs that I collected from the ground, along with a braid I created myself, which I cut afterward. My goal was to incorporate these natural materials to represent the power of the Lwas and connect with the symbolic meaning of their bag of leaves.
I used my mom and aunt, who are fraternal twins, as the subjects. This choice was deeply. personal, as my aunt was battling cancer at the time, that turned out to be terminal. The project reflects the tension between life and death, drawing on the hope for recovery and the bond between my mom and aunt. Through Ghede Masaka, I wanted to honor this connection and the resilience of my family.
