Meet the Witches in Harley Weir and Dilara Fındıkoğlu’s New Zine

In their new zine Witch, photographer Harley Weir and designer Dilara Fındıkoğlu travel to Romania to explore the power of modern witchcraft and female intuition

On a Monday morning in late October, I received two missed calls from Harley Weir. I’d not spoken to the photographer since I last interviewed her, well over a year before. Stranger still, just minutes before the calls, I’d been asked to speak to her again – this time about Witch, a new zine made in collaboration with fashion designer Dilara Fındıkoğlu, exploring modern magic and the power of women’s intuition. When I called Weir back, she was apologetic, admitting that she’d accidentally dialled me from her pocket (“a butt dial!”). A coincidence – though given the subject at hand, an eerily well-timed one.

For those familiar with Weir’s work, Witch feels a natural extension of her long-standing preoccupations. Her photographs have always been imbued with an earthy, almost primordial mysticism, documenting the feminine body in its various states of transformation. Her vision of womanhood is complex: tender, sexual, at times even grotesque. “People have historically been afraid of the natural woman,” Weir explains over Zoom when we catch up properly a few days later. “Her affinity with nature, her intuition, the ability to create life, which is a magical, crazy, unexplained thing that can’t really be controlled or understood.” In the background, the photographer’s newborn daughter gurgles.

We’re soon joined by Fındıkoğlu. Long-time friends and collaborators, the pair share a fascination with feminine power and the fears and mythologies that have long surrounded it. In Witch, their creative worlds converge. Shot over five days across Romania, the zine transports us from remote rural landscapes to candlelit rooms crowded with religious icons. In its fashion portraits, Fındıkoğlu’s elaborate corsetry – equal parts armour and adornment – lends the women a ceremonial, otherworldly presence. “The idea came about in conversation with creative director Matthew Scorțe, who is Romanian and told me tales of witches from his hometown,” says Weir, “and who better to team up with than Dilara, queen of the witches?” Fındıkoğlu, lighting up a Vogue and flicking her long, jet-black hair out of her face, elaborates: “We were trying to redefine the word ‘witch.’ Everyone is afraid of it because it’s associated with something evil, something dangerous. But we wanted to show that these powers are completely natural and that we all carry them within us.”

Alongside the images, Witch features conversations with seven women from Romania, conducted by Weir and Fındıkoğlu. Among them are a practising Roma witch, a trans activist and sex worker, a journalist, and a body-modification artist. Each has her own relationship with the figure of the witch – for some, it’s a serious spiritual tradition; for others, a means of asserting independence and resisting society’s expectations. “Many witches in Romania are highly paid; they’re doing well,” says Weir. “They’re still thriving. It’s not like it’s this hidden thing over there.”

For Fındıkoğlu, the idea of the witch speaks to something more universal. “For me, the most powerful thing is being able to express myself freely in this kind of society [...] to be myself freely and be unapologetic about it,” she says. “I feel like we’re already otherworldly beings in so many ways. There’s so much magic within us that we don’t even recognise. Why is word magic understood as something we can‘t achieve?”

Below, in an extract from the zine, four of the women featured in Witch reflect on their own experiences.

Mihaela Minca

Mihaela Minca is a practising Roma witch who describes herself as belonging to the “most ancient lineage” of witches on Romanian soil

“We, Roma people – who are born and raised in Romania – are living history. Our legacy is passed down through trauma and blood. Witchcraft is both an innate birthright and a sacred gift. However, all women possess this magical power within themselves. The importance is to express, embody and use it. When she does, she becomes a very powerful woman. Magic lives in the heart of every woman on this earth.

“In the Roma community, women are traditionally expected to live in closed circles, suppressing their opinions and living without a voice. Fortunately, the witch lineage that I’m a part of gave me a platform to express myself.”

Antonella 

Antonella is a Romanian Roma trans woman, sex worker, tarot reader and activist who has campaigned for trans visibility and rights in her home country

“I’ve been working in the sex industry for the past 20 years. I’ve experienced a lot of street violence, harassment, violation and discrimination. I always try to see the good in everything [...] Sunshine will find its way onto your path.

“Seeing nobody talking about trans women [in Romania], I stepped forward as a political candidate. [Because of] heavy backlash from churches and conservative movements asking how a ‘hooker’ could run, I didn’t win, but it was something new for Romania and provided a platform for the trans community. I also wrote about my life because I wanted to leave something behind, and this started my trans activism in Romania. It stirred a lot of protest, but ultimately a lot of movement.

“My past will never heal. Maybe I don’t want my wounds to heal. These wounds, both emotional and physical, have made me the powerful woman that I am today.”

Andra Muresan 

Andra Mureșan is a Romanian journalist whose work investigates violence against women, sexual abuse and the growing threat of image-based abuse

“I report on deepfake abuse and sexual violence in Romania […] I see women constantly being blamed, even though society is the one at fault. Over the last year, I struggled to stay focused on my purpose as a journalist. My last article documented two sexually abused women who were ignored and blamed by the police, judges and prosecutors. I realised then that my writing is my weapon. 

“When I was little, I used to see a witch as a fictional character. Then, as I got older, I understood the history of it more [...] the witch trials, and how this affected our rights as women […] Our rights are never guaranteed to stay the way they are today. If our rights are dismantled, we’ll have to come together [and use] our power as ‘witches’.”

Maria

Maria is a Romanian body-modification artist and science student whose experiments with piercing explore the limits of the body and conventional ideas of feminine beauty

“I’ve had every weird haircut and possible piercing [...] I’ve had people yell at me on the street or even hiss like vampires. I guess, as women, we’re used to it and just brush it off. [...] I always liked a more alternative style, and what I did to my body felt beautiful to me. I do think it makes men uncomfortable because they feel like they’re losing power. We’re born into rules we never chose, and while breaking them threatens their power, other women also judge us for stepping out of line.

“Doing whatever you want is liberating, but so is facing negative reactions without letting them break you. It’s freeing to realise you’ve moved past the anxiety of keeping yourself boxed in. Breaking free gives me an adrenaline rush and makes me happy. It’s sad seeing people stay stuck instead of doing the work to free themselves.”

Harley Weir and Dilara Fındıkoğlu’s Witch is released on 31 October, published by IDEA