Paola Kudacki is an Argentinian photographer living in New York. She creates portraits of celebrities, models and artists by connecting intimately with the subject to build a character and convey a story or an emotion in a single moment.

Halima Aden, the first ever hijab-wearing model in fashion, has been a champion of redefining beauty standards and increasing visibility for muslim women.

PAOLA: Halima and I were very excited about this project as TSI brings a platform for women to collaborate and express ourselves with a feminine and powerful voice.

A few days before the photo shoot, I connected with Halima on the phone to get a sense of her personality and discover what inspires and motivates her. We talked about her life, her background and how her personal journey and courage has inspired women to be free and present.

HALIMA: I felt really connected to the project and to Paola because of how involved I was. She really wanted to make it different than anything I’ve ever shot. We both had a close connection to our intention with the images and in building the concept to convey a variety of emotions, to be artistic and expressive.

I really appreciated that she wanted to make sure that this was my own and asked what I wanted it to represent. The chemistry you have with a photographer is very important to bringing images and emotions to life. Our chemistry was really magnetic.

PAOLA: I wanted to change the narrative and express a new way way of thinking: where we are not judging but observing with interest, revealing things to be as they are, as well as touching upon the subconscious, and the surreal imagination.

The idea for the collaboration was to open a space for Halima to reflect on herself, her life and her experiences. We all worked together with different elements that helped the concept. Masking and unmasking, allowing things to happen simultaneously, looking with curiosity inwards and exploring emotional dualities.

The mirrors convey a distorted, fractured vision yet demonstrate an alternate reality, perhaps one that is equally revealing. Are we seeing the truth, or is it a projection of what we might think our vision of the truth is? We are looking at things from different angles completely. For example: we are portraying strength and vulnerability, courage and fragility. In each case, the two concepts, even if opposing, coexist. And the idea is to accept the realities and the differences.

HALIMA: Photography is an art form that evokes emotion. What we see with our eyes is digested through our heart and mind. Images have had a big impact on me and my career.

My reflection in the mirror was an important shot to me. As a hijab wearing woman, I can be misunderstood, but I have so much depth to who I am and I go through the same emotions as other women. I think Paola conveyed that being different is beautiful. Some of the photos even make you question what the story is and what is going on. Like the hijab, sometimes it can be off-putting for people, but then they get to know me and it’s kind of cool.

PAOLA: When we spoke she mentioned that she wanted to be able to express herself, to navigate her emotions, and reflect on her life. I wanted to let the images happen organically. There was a moment where Halima wore a wire piece that wrapped around her head, swirls of metal around her face. She was in profile, and closed her eyes, and the silver strands looked like vibrations emanating from her skin, a mask that was revealing and full of emotional resonance. A full portrait of a strong woman, aware of her past and forging forward.

HALIMA: Paola is an iconic woman. She really did capture the essence of who I was. I learned a lot about how creative concepts can come to life which is different from the other shoots I have done. Being a part of its incubation and as it was created on set was really empowering and a real honor. At the end of the day, fashion is the one space for the world’s most creative minds, and it was nice to see myself through her lens.