Exhibition runs until July 3, 2021
This exhibition is part of the 2021 Medalta International Artists in Residence program.
The mythology of Medusa has been traditionally centred around the theme of woman as monster. She is an iconic female character, known as a gorgon, a creature with snakes for hair and a stare that can turn man to stone. In a less familiar version of her story, written by the Roman poet Ovid in his ‘Metamorphoses’, Medusa is mortal, one of three daughters, born of the sea gods Phorcys and Ceto. She was coveted for her overwhelming beauty and incredible hair. Her story turns into a tragedy when she is pursued and raped by Poiseden, the God of the sea. Medusa was then punished further by the goddess Athena, who was fueled by jealousy and transformed her into the trademark snake-haired beast. ‘Serpents and Stone, A Woman on the Other Side’, explores the problematic and reductive nature of connecting woman to beast. Looking at the transformative power of a mythology focused on the monstrous characteristics of a once beautiful woman. Medusa was stripped of both her autonomy and her voice, and famously slain by Perseus who becomes the hero in her story. The various sculptural forms, representing the body and the serpent, attempt to reintroduce the woman back into the narrative.
