- Witches
- Open-air
- Malta on the Streets
WITCH. UNVELLING OF THE SCULPTURE IN CHWALISZEWO
Dates
07.09 / Saturday, h15:30
Dates
07.09 / Saturday, h15:30
Venue
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free entrance
"In 1511, the first woman accused of witchcraft was burned at the stake in Poznań in Chwaliszewo. After this event, stakes were burned all over the country. This woman was not only a victim of phantasmagoria but also of the cruelty of the neighbors who built the stake together. It's a story about how easy it is to arouse the urge to cruelty among ordinary, decent people, how fear of the unknown infects society, how easy it is to turn a woman into a victim. After learning about this story ten years ago in 2016, I wanted to symbolically commemorate this event and started trying to erect a monument as a warning. At that time, I started the Witches’ Choir project, which told this story with piercing singing, screaming and music, it was an unusual performance, thanks to which thousands of people were interested in the story of the "witch from Chwaliszewo". Now, thanks to the personal involvement of Dominika Kulczyk, the Malta festival and artist Alicja Biała, who was emotionally and artistically present from the beginning of the project, a monument will finally be erected in Poznań Chwaliszewo. I hope that this place will become a place of reflection, contemplation and many excellent artistic events."
Ewa Łowżył
At Malta Festival, a sculpture of the Witch from Chwaliszewo by Alicja Biała will be placed in the Stare Koryto Warty Park. The work will symbolize a woman who was burned for alleged witchcraft in the 16th century.
" The etymology of "witch" is not clearly defined. Linguists believe that the word "witch" may be a loanword from the Ukrainian language from the 16th century or come from a Proto-Slavic word meaning "one who knows" - but also uses her knowledge (the suffix "-ma" means a doer). A witch would therefore be a woman who is a "doer of knowledge". Some etymological dictionaries derive the word "witch" from an Old Russian noun meaning knowledge in the 12th century, and quackery since the 15th century. This means that the witch would be, first of all, a doctor, putting her knowledge into practice and making it practical. She can use it to both help and harm. A witch's knowledge is also connected with seeing - of course, the future. Some linguists believe that the word "witch" comes from the word "to prophesy", not "to know". According to this theory, a witch would be a woman who has insight into the future. European ideas about witches mix with Latin, Nordic and indigenous traditions. Regardless of the cultural circle, the basic connotation is the same: witches are smart, competent, educated, versatile, "initiated" people who influence their own fate. They have been and continue to be silenced, accused and stigmatized. The last stake with a human body in Europe burned in August 1811 in the Warmian town of Reszel."
Michał Rusinek - literary scholar, president of the Wisława Szymborska foundation
In 1511, in Chwaliszewo, a well-known brewing district at that time, a dramatic event took place that will forever be remembered in the history of the region. A woman wrongly accused of poisoning the water used to produce beer was sentenced to death by burning at the stake. It was one of the first documented executions of this type on Polish soil.
The author of the idea for the sculpture is Ewa Łowżył, an artist, photographer, activist from Poznań, founder of the “Witches’ Choir”.
The creation of the sculpture by Alicja Biała is one of the components of the “Witches” program, i.e. Dominika Kulczyk’s initiative, which is intended to redefine the understanding of this word and encourage the sharing of knowledge.
“Opposing discrimination and inequalities affecting the female gender around the world, together with the Kulczyk Foundation, we are launching a program about extraordinary, brave and wise women driving social change. Women who inspire girls from all over the world to develop and acquire knowledge.”
– announces Dominika Kulczyk .
“Malta ‘witches’ represent different areas of life, but they have one thing in common – knowledge. Talented, bold, and at the same time authentic. One of many.”
– adds Kulczyk.
The name of the program is intended to build a positive understanding of the word “witch”, explaining its original meaning – a person who has knowledge and uses it skillfully – “a woman who knows”.
Alicja Biała, responsible for the sculpture design, is a visual artist from Poznań. She works in various media and scales, and is deeply involved in social and ecological issues. Initially, she attracted attention with her large-format murals, and then with the politically charged series “Polish Cutouts” (published in ” Poland, a bundle of patriotic songs” by Marcin Świetlicki, Wolno publishing house). In 2020, the Przystań Sztuki in Poznań featured her first works from the “Totems” series, where various proportions, colors and hand-painted patterns correspond to research results and statistics on the condition of the natural environment. Her latest works include: metal sculptures using post-mining contamination; a continuation of the public sculptures “Totems”; paintings; works in lace and hanging light sculptures originating from Slavic women’s customs “Spiders”. The artist immerses herself in cultural history and speculative future, hoping that the truth will come to light and asking: where have we been and where are we going?
Biała is a graduate of the Royal Drawing School and the Royal College of Art in London. She is currently on an artist residency in Giverny , France, at the house of Claude Monet.
Alicja Biała, sharing her thoughts on creating the sculpture, says:
“This project became an opportunity for me to explore our collective history and its impact on the contemporary perception of women. The Witch from Chwaliszewo is a symbol of both harm and strength. In my work, I tried to capture this duality to remind us of the power that women have carried and continue to carry for centuries, despite adversities.”
The artist’s new proposal, made of steel and partially etched with acid, will be approximately 166 cm high, which corresponds to the average height of a Polish woman, so that everyone can find their reflection in it – literally and figuratively.
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