Photos Of 21st Century Romanian Witches

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Twenty-seven-year-old photographer Lucia Sekerková Bláhová comes from a small town called Stará Turá in Slovakia but today she lives in bustling Munich with her husband. As an artist, her love and talent for documentary-style photography led her to tell the stories of marginalised communities. Her fascination with Christianity comes from her upbringing; intrigued by it and other religions, she began to use her art as a way to understand her identity.

In the collection of photographs here, named Vrăjitoare (meaning 'witch' in Romanian), Sekerková Bláhová takes us to the heart of what it looks and feels like to live among Romania's new generation of witches. The project began in 2013 when she stumbled upon a video of a Roma woman who was operating a thriving business as a witch. With her lens, and the help of friend and ethnologist Ivana Šusterová, she spent four years capturing the private and public lives of Roma witches – exploring their spells, witchcraft and potions as well as their social media profiles and business savvy. These are truly 21st century witches.

Here she takes us through a selection of the intimate images and provides context for each one.

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