Join BookitisSave favorites, build lists, and follow creators.

Sanne de Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen

Work detail

Bookitis Pick
Sanne de Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen
SD
Erika NimisSanne De WildeBabatunde LawalBenedicte KurzenAngelo Micheli1 editions

Land of Ibeji is the joint work of two photographers. Bénédicte Kurzen and Sanne De Wilde took first prize in the World Press Photo Contest Portrait category with this project. In the book they explore the myth of twinhood in Ibeji, Nigeria. For the Yoruba people, 'double birth' and 'the inseparable two' represent the ultimate harmony between two people. Four times more twins are born in West Africa than in the rest of the world. The centre of this 'twin zone' is Igbo-Ora, a sleepy town in south-west Nigeria. Using a subtle visual narrative approach, the two photographers broaden their view by using symmetry and likeness to represent twins as mythological figures and as a powerful metaphor for the duality within each of us and the duality we experience in the world around us. To further bring out the magical and supernatural invisible aspect, the two photographers use two-colour filters for certain images. This amplifies the duality of two photographers, two individuals, and two identities. It reveals two differently coloured perceptions. Twins are the object of great fascination around the world. Although many stories and myths about twinhood have faded away or been forgotten, the theme appears in Biblical and other stories, in philosophical texts and even in science. Examples include the Gemini constellation with the stars Castor and Pollux, Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, or Plato, who believed in the duality of human nature.

Overview

Shared work-level identity and catalog context.

5 credited authorsSearch language english

Bookitis keeps work pages focused on the shared book identity and the editions that actually belong to it. Unrelated books should not appear here as primary content.

Contributors

People credited with this work in the active catalog.

  • Erika Nimis

    Author profile in the active Bookitis catalog

    Open Author
  • Sanne De Wilde

    Author profile in the active Bookitis catalog

    Open Author
  • Babatunde Lawal

    Author profile in the active Bookitis catalog

    Open Author
  • Benedicte Kurzen

    Author profile in the active Bookitis catalog

    Open Author
  • Angelo Micheli

    Author profile in the active Bookitis catalog

    Open Author

Editions

Publication-specific versions linked to this work only.