Poland is said to be more than 90% Catholic. Christianity forcefully introduced centuries ago , successfully erased almost all the traces of paganism, witchcraft or shamanic traditions. Basically no line of heritage survived. Children at school learn Greek, Roman, German or Nordic mythology.
In the series 29 portraits and engaging interviews I present an alternative to the seeming homogeneity by revealing the realm of those existing beyond the mainstream – witches, healers, enchanters, visionaries and spiritual leaders.
Only a few traditional healers (so called ‘whisperers’ who mix religion and primeval superstitions to heal and remove spells using prayers) survived on the Belarusian border and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Others will try to revive a dead tradition – they may have had grandmothers who could ‘see’ or were herb healers. Some others say the knowledge survived in the subconscious but there is a need to learn from outer traditions… Thus many, left with no other choice,but to travel abroad – to North America, Peru, or New Zealand – to learn, come back and mix the knowledge with some local traditions – old Slavs ceremonials or demonology. Most believe pagan spirit and witchcraft somehow managed to survive in the subconscious.
This fascinating journey from a woman to a woman (the youngest is in her early 30s and the oldest in her late 80s) all over the country I search for female wisdom and plurality of spiritual paths hidden within a monoreligious society.
I took pictures with a very low depth of field and focused on their eyes. During the shooting women wore ceremonial outfits and held their ‘objects of power’. They were asked to look directly into the lens to use photography to heal a potential viewer.
Katarzyna Majak
Katarzyna Majak received her PhD in Photography at Poznan Academy of Fine Arts. In 2002 she was an artist-in-residence at ‘Florida – First Contact’ project at Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida. Majak continued her studies in the US when she was awarded a scholarship by Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado in 2003. She is a Critical Mass (Portland, 2011) finalist, a recipient of Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage scholarship, her works were selected and published in ‘The Collector’s Guide to New Art Photography Vol. 2.’ She is a member of editorial board and a regular contributor to ‘Fotografia’ quarterly and had been a photography lecturer since 2003. In 2010 Majak was selected for ‘Photographers‘ Network:2010′, in Siegen, Germany and in 2012 for ‘31 Women in Art Photography ‘(New York exhibition scheduled for July 2012). She has exhibited and curated throughout Europe and the U.S. She is represented by Porter/Contemporary New York and Ego Gallery in Poznan (Poland).
EXHIBITIONS:
Katarzyna Majak : Women of Power
31.05 – 14.07. 2012
Porter Contemporary NY
548 W. 28th Street,New York, USA
Katarzyna Majak : Women of Power
7.06 – 27.07 2012
Slovene Ethnographic Museum
Metelkova 2 1000 Ljubljana
’31 Women in Art Photography’
25.07 –17.08, 2012
Hasted Kraeutler Gallery
537 W. 24th Street, NY, USA
