Argentinian street artist Milu Correch was recently in Aberdeen invited to take part of this year’s Nuart Aberdeen for which she painted two murals that reference North East Scotland’s witch hunts of the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Drawing on one of the darker aspects of The Granite City’s rich cultural heritage, Correch depicted two witches in two separate murals in tribute to the many women who were persecuted for practicing ‘witchcraft’ (a crime that was publishable by death) under the rule of King James VI.
In 1563 the Queen’s Act against witchcraft was introduced in Scotland. The Act stated that no person should ‘use any manner of witchcraft, sorcery or necromancy, nor give themselves forth to have any such craft or knowledge thereof’. The penalty for being convicted as a witch was death. There followed two main periods of witch persecution in Scotland, the first of which was in the 1590’s and the second in the 1640’s. The late 16th-century craze was encouraged by the return journey of King James VI and his wife from Denmark when bad weather put the convoy of ships at risk. One of the King’s attendant ships was lost and it was widely believed that the high winds were caused by a number of witches assembled at North Berwick Church and in Copenhagen. Many arrests were made following rumours of a conspiracy between the witches of the two countries against the King.
Whilst James VI was in Denmark he was influenced by discussions about witchcraft and witch hunting which had already begun in that country. His power to influence had a major effect on the number of witch persecutions and in 1596 and 1597 the highest ever figures for persecutions were recorded. His views quickly permeated to the ruling classes and the clergy. James insisted that all witches, all ages, all ranks and even bairns deserved death by fire.
Source: www.aberdeencity.gov.uk
About the artist
Milu Correch is an Argentinean artist known for her large-scale murals and has established herself as one of South America’s leading figurative street artists.
After being inspired by seeing the work of renowned Argentinian muralists Lean Frizzera and Emy Mariani she attended a workshop by the pair which taught her to “think in m2” and upscale the images in her notebooks to the size of buildings, something she first started doing in 2011.
Taking inspiration from literature, movies and women’s history Correch’s paintings tend to dissect aesthetic and moral certainties with acute irony. Her “kids on cars” series contained ‘plotlines’ ranging from Classical mythology to Romantic symbolism that embrace childhood impulses and redeem us from the absurdity of adulthood.
Milu Correch lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
More on Website | Facebook | Instagram
About Nuart
Nuart Aberdeen, a new international platform, is designed to not only present the most interesting and relevant Street Art of its time, but to also activate and inspire an emergent local scene whilst encouraging creative collaborations with twin city Stavanger.
Brought to you by the team behind Stavanger’s internationally renowned Nuart Festival, the award-winning festival returned to the Granite City for its second year this April.
Developed in collaboration with Aberdeen Inspired and Aberdeen City Council, Nuart Aberdeen provides a platform for local, national and international artists to showcase their work through a series of site-specific murals, installations, interventions, and temporary exhibitions.
Visit www.nuartaberdeen.co.uk for more info.
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
You must be logged in to post a comment.