Talia Link, Witch no. 3, 2012. Digital collage, Inkjet print. 112 x 110 cm. From the Witches Project. Courtesy the artist
How the figure of the witch endures in culture – and how one artist is reclaiming her power.
Essay by Hili Perlson
The fantasy of witches among us as cunning, powerful women in possession of mysterious powers has captured the imagination across continents and centuries. Looking at the way the figure of the witch is deeply entrenched in the folklore of Western culture, it is often linked to her ability to both change her appearance and to predict – and direct – fate: the Moirai of greek mythology and the Weird Sisters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth were menacing precisely because of their prophetic ability to augur destinies (the word “weird” derives its meaning from the old english “wyrd” meaning “that which comes”, like the german “werden”). From Ceres, Sirens and Harpies of antiquity to Norse legends and medieval yarns of pagan women crouching over cauldrons whispering maledictions and flying to congregate for Black Mass, the image has frightened and fascinated everyone from commoners to kings, rulers and popes, and later, writers, thinkers and political activists.
Yet the witch’s most substantial power would seem to be the unending ability of her image to endure: shape-shifting, in fact, to accommodate the leading beliefs, philosophies and culture of whichever time of her “apparition”, even if the culture happens to be that of celebrity worship.
Consider Beyoncé’s recent Superbowl half- time show as test case in how the traits attributed to witches were historically portrayed. Her performance was frenetic and sensational, but publicists sought to have images of the singer at her fiercest removed from publication, deeming them “unflattering”. Naturally, the move backfired, and the internet memes which quickly circulated accentuated her muscular physique and ferocious expressions, typifying many of the prejudices long projected on to so-called witches: a figure of unbridled sexuality, the witch is often described as taking on the appearance of a beautiful and strong woman, an alluring temptress; when underneath the façade of beauty lies an unsightly old hag.
Of course, none of this is to suggest that Beyoncé is herself a witch. But if shape-shifting and time travel are in themselves two very powerful supernatural faculties, what bestows the notion of the witch with its force? Is the figure of the witch, a mighty, albeit fictive fixture of culture, actually a succubus that derives its power from its dominance over our fantasy? Do we in fact summon the witch time and again, invent her history and conjure up the threats she poses in order to fulfil our own needs and serve specific – chiefly political – purposes?
The work of young Israeli artist Talia Link, shown here, makes use of the role witches play in the collective imagination and reinvents them as harbingers of a new femininity. Laden with symbols imposed, adopted and appropriated, her witches are stunning, awe-inspiring, monstrous and seductive simultaneously, reflecting aspects of our culture but also the way we think of and portray women in the media. Link calls for a reclaiming of the history of the witch, demanding a just representation for the women who were considered so powerful that they had to be eliminated – a practice that started in the middle ages and endured for centuries, peaking in early modern history and which still, to some extent, endures.