Fresh off his solo show Cactus Dreams last month, photographer Justin Aversano is back with Twin Flames, an exhibition of Polaroid and large-format-film prints of 100 pairs of twins. The expansive, lavishly presented show, featuring work taken over the past two years, has been wowing audiences during its two weeks at Superchief NY in Ridgewood. It closes Saturday night with a ballroom party hosted by The Bailey Twins, who also posed for Aversano’s project.
An army of twins, culled from the 100 pairs that participated in the project, descended on the show’s opening earlier this month. Show curator Robert “Nova” Fernandez designed the decor to match The Shining, in honor of the film’s twins, Louise and Lisa Burns, who also participated in Aversano’s project. Guests mingled under a giant chandelier that was lit up at night’s end while DJ Marcy “MD” DePina played a ceremonial track.
The subject matter is personal to Aversano, as recently described in Vogue magazine: “Aversano’s own life and work is connected in a similar eldritch way, learning later in life that he is the surviving sibling of a set of fraternal twins, his twin sister having not developed properly in utero and causing his mother a partial miscarriage while they were in the womb.” Later, after visiting with spiritual guides, “he absorbed what he believes is her spiritual existence,” Vogue said, “which bonded with him and has continued on as apart of him, later leading to create this body of work.”
Twins Flames is open to visitors all day Friday, 5/31, at Superchief NY, 1628 Jefferson Ave. in Ridgewood, and concludes Saturday night with a party hosted by The Bailey Twins; tickets can be found here.