Toilette of the Witch

The Toilette of the Witch was created for an exhibition in Rome and is part of a larger series titled "Lost Element: Re-construction of the Witch." This series refers to a damaged sculpture of a witch made by the Austrian-Jewish sculptor Teresa Ries. The presentation in Rome recognizes Teresa Ries, a Jewish-Austrian artist, as one of the few female artists among a diverse group participating in the World Exhibition held in the city in 1911. The exhibition took place in the same area where the Austrian Cultural Forum building stands today.

While developing the concept for this work, I came across a hairdresser's suitcase made in Vienna, likely before World War II. Lined with red leather inside, the suitcase reminded me of the red paint vandals poured on Ries's sculpture. The original contents of the suitcase include a crystal mirror, into which I added a photographic close-up of the witch's face taken just after the sculpture was vandalized. The piece features several gaps, particularly in the hair section.

photo: Valerie Habsubrg

Teresa Feodorowna Ries's sculpture, Witch at Toilet Before the Witches' Sabbath, can be interpreted as a subversive take on a popular motif from the Old Masters, depicting Venus, the goddess of beauty, at her toilet. This portrayal of passive femininity and beauty aligns with patriarchal expectations, which Ries's sculpture reflects through a distorted lens.

The suitcase, symbolizing a traveller—specifically a woman and an artist—contains objects that derive from my previous works in the series "Lost Element: Re-construction of the Witch." Among these items are scissors, referencing the witch's severed hand holding the tool; a hair dye kit used in the performance "Vacuum Chamber" (2019); and "travel soaps," consisting of three soap casts labelled with the inscription "Witch. Travel soap" in German, Italian, and English. Another significant element is the chisels used for stonework, serving as a reminder of the sculptor's profession.

Additionally, this work reflects on the nature of travel itself. Some travel for tourism or professional reasons, while others are forced to leave their homes and countries. Many have been kidnapped and taken on unwanted journeys by their persecutors. Teresa Ries travelled as an artist, a tourist, and, toward the end of her life, as a refugee. Fleeing from Nazi persecution, she was forced to leave Vienna and abandon all her artworks.

A complementary piece is a white fabric "towel" adorned with Richelieu embroidery. The motifs cut from the canvas are processed with a special stitch. I created "letter-holes" in the canvas to symbolize absence. However, this absence gains significance here, as the gaps in the canvas form a text that reads, "Marble figure of a Witch, partially damaged, missing toes and a few locks of hair." This fragment is taken from a note written in 1946 by an employee of the Vienna City Office, following the discovery of the Ries sculptures, which were likely stolen by the Nazis. The stitching around the letter-holes aims to convey an attempt to preserve the object from further destruction, as well as to represent its trace—a scar or a gash.

The "towel" and "witch soap" - detail from the suitcase, from the series Toilete of the Witch

Toillette of the Witch and the video Lost Element
The exhibition Woman Artist on the Move, Nuremberg House in Krakow, 2024,
curator: Anka Lesniak / TFR Archive,
photo: Ewa Pasternak-Kapera