Kongla Ann at the Museum, 2017

Kongla Ann was created as part of a three-month artist residency at the Estonian Printing and Paper Museum in Tartu, 2017. These snaps capture the various stages of the print as Ann slowly came together over the course of the residency. Kongla Ann was a historical figure persecuted for witchcraft, including werewolfism, in Viru Nigula. Charges were brought against her by the lord of the local Pada manor, following the death of his child. Ann's outfit references the traditional folk costume from the Viru Nigula region, while the manor house can be seen in the background. The hound by her side alludes to witness accounts that she transformed into an invisible greyhound in order to enter the manor and wreak mischief.  The curious shape beside her is based on the stone monument that was posthumously erected outside the Viru Nigula church grounds to commemorate Ann's 'martyrdom' in the face of Estonia's Christianisation by colonising powers. The protruding tail references local legends that werewolves would hide their wolf skins beneath large stones while in human form. Although originally from Sweden, she has ironically come to represent indigenous folk traditions and free thinking in the face of occupying cultures and regimes.

Click here for more on the historical figure behind the image.