Heerlen 1971
The two artists live and work in Amsterdam

Selected projects L.A. Raeven:

2003
'Turbulence', CCA Kiev, Russia; MMK, Arnhem, Netherlands
'Disturbance', curator Helena Kontova, Prague Biennale, Prague
'Coup de Coeur/ a sentimental choice', CRAC Alsac, Altkirch, France
'Deviations', Galerie K&S, Berlin, Germany
'Sad Wings of Destiny', Gallery 400, Chicago, USA

2004
'Sibling Rivalry', Stedelijk Museum Bureau, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bannister Gallery, Providence, USA
Re – enact, Club 11/Casco-Mediametics, Amsterdam

2005
Ellen de Bruijne Projects, Amsterdam (solo), Netherlands
'Critical Society', Badische Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany
Manuela Klerkx, with Julika Rudelius, Milan, Italy
'Siblings/Brüderschaft', Kunsthaus München; Musée de Beaux Arts, Brussels

The artists say the following about 'Prison in me':

"Our work often plays with clichés about twins and the prevalent image of women. We want to show that the cute image of twins is an illusion and the mysterious bond between identical twins a prison in yourself from which you will never be able to escape. A bond that is extremely exhausting and continues forever, an bond that binds the two individuals like a rubber band; as soon as you make an effort to split from each other your attempt is intolerably punished by springing back to the other like a magnet, to the one you hate but also cherish so much. A bond that literally and figuratively seizes and exhausts the two girls in the film, so that as viewer you are not sure whether you’re witnessing love-play or a fight. As a child you experience being a twin more as a dream, but as soon as adolescence approaches the dream becomes a nightmare for then you are expected to behave as a responsible individual and you are no longer able to flee back to the unthinking world of children. It is as though you are unable to make your own decisions, since every decision that you take has immediate consequences for the other. The problems that come with adolescence is a recurring element in our work. For an individual in this society it is already difficult during puberty to arm oneself against all the prevailing ideals of beauty and the striving for perfection. With twins these are roused even more strongly by the competition between two individuals. Our work is intended to show that this striving for an unattainable ideal shared by everyone has to be fought against. As a twin you know how important it is to pursue your own ideal and not that of another."

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