Poison and femininity have historically and culturally been connected with each other all across the world. In our project, we explored this connection in Istanbul, Turkey, searching for local stories, myths, habits, and beliefs where both topics overlap. From the idea of the impure female body to her dangerously seductive sexuality, murderous mischief and her words poisoning other people‘s minds, it all leads back to the same source: Since Eve seduced her companion to eat an apple from the tree of knowledge, patriarchy has come with a tendency to portray women as irrational and uncontrollable, a danger to society unless tamed. The image of the poisonous woman: a tool to cage women and keep them under control – or indeed burn them as witches, with poison and witchcraft willingly seen as one and the same thing. At the same time, however, this association got so strong that women began using poison as a form of resistance. We see this in the knowledge possessed by witches, in female-perpetrated murders almost always committed through poison, and in the so-called „female intuition“ as an attack on what men consider “male” rationality.

Our photos are based on the stories we have found. They show that, although we live in a so-called modern age, the definition of womanhood is still shaped by various outdated images, expectations, and even fears. The body, mind, and soul of a woman is tangled with these ancient patriarchal rules to control them—adjusted over time but never completely erased.