ved’ma is the ancient witch of the Slavic pagans, dwelling on the fringes of civilization. She is an everyday woman, with wild hair and swollen, red eyes reflecting an inverted image of the world. She gazes into both life and death, drawing her blood directly from the earth. Trapped in the spores of patriarchy, she remains wild, untamed, and unyielding. She makes love to the untamed and belongs freely. Above all, ved’ma trusts herself—she is the embodiment of a self that knows no fear.

The performance explores the intimate self-image of a woman who feels a deep alliance and love for her environment while rejecting the outdated notion of the witch as a grotesque, mystical crone. Through an ecofeminist lens, the modern woman reimagines this archetype—not as a monstrous outcast, but as one who, through her bond with nature, weaves resistance against patriarchy. And yes, she plots revolution in meetings with the forest.

In sharp red light, a mound of earth lies before us, beneath which a woman is trapped in an erotic, translucent net. Her body slowly merges with a bundle of branches, collected from the remains of deforestation on Castle Hill. Through movement, she explores the intertwining of matter and flesh.

As part of the performative series Bread and Roses in honor of women fighting for equality and a better tomorrow.

Red Dawns

curated by: Tatiana Kocmur
co-produced by: Cirkulacija 2, KUD Mreža  

photo: Nina Pernat / KUD Mreža

co-financed by: Municipality of Ljubljana – Department for Culture
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia 

City of Women

curated by: Ana Grobler
co-produced by: Culture and Art Centre in Wroclaw
KUD Mreža, MGBS, City of Women, Arton Foundation

photo: Nada Žgank

co-financed by: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland