Fifty to Know the Fate
Gao Rongguo photographs twins aged 50 and over in an exploration of fate
Gao Rongguo acknowledges the role of fate in our lives and how it changes who we are as people. In line with Confucius’s saying ‘fifty to know the fate’, he documents twins over the age of fifty to see how they have changed, or not changed, based on the different directions their lives have taken. Of the motivation behind the project, he says “He/she used to have the same face, living in the same family, but their lives changed due to various reasons after growing up. I take these identical twins in their fifties face-to-face. This is a way similar to the way one looks into the mirror. Taking people as mirrors, one can know its gain and loss by revealing oneself.” Gao had twins take photos facing each other. The pictures reveal twins who still look incredibly alike, and twins who simply bear resemblance. In a heartbreaking exception, one man stands facing emptiness, a stark reminder of the brother he has lost.