Rooted in Magic is an ongoing documentary project exploring the world of contemporary witchcraft.
With her camera, Elisa Maenhout enters the lives of people who identify as witches, focusing on how their beliefs, rituals, and practices shape their daily lives. She photographs them in their personal spaces, where everyday life and spiritual practice naturally intertwine, building trust over time to portray their way of practicing witchcraft with care.
The project offers an intimate glimpse into a community that is often misunderstood or misrepresented.
What was once a forced stigma that led to persecution and exclusion has now become, for many, a conscious choice for self-expression, connection, and resistance. The term witch is being reclaimed as a symbol of strength and pride, deeply rooted in both history and contemporary activism.
The work reveals a world where old stigmas give way to new meanings, and where rituals offer grounding and strength in a complex society.
Exhibition: July 5, 2025 – October 19, 2025 | Castle of Laarne