What the People Behind NYC's Polarizing New Medusa Statue Want You to Know About It

While most modern audiences know Medusa as a snake-headed monster with a lethal gaze, her origin story in Greek myth has a theme that's remained tragically timeless across thousands of years: a victim blamed for the sins of her attacker. Raped by the sea god Poseidon in a Temple of Athena, Medusa was punished by her own goddess, Ovid's Metamorphosis tells us. Athena turned Medusa into a terrifying Gorgon with snakes for hair and cursed eyes that could turn anyone to stone. Even in banishment, Medusa was victimized again—hunted down and decapitated by the Greek hero Perseus. But in a 7-foot-tall statue being placed this week across from the New York County Criminal Court, the roles often shown in classical art are reversed, with a triumphant Medusa defiantly holding the head of Perseus. Created by an Argentine-Italian sculptor in 2008 and first shared online in 2018, Medusa With the Head of Perseus is intended to be a symbol of shifting gender dynamics in recent years, especially as the Me Too movement helped shine a light of accountability on decades of abuse by men in power. The statue, intentionally placed through the NYC Parks' Art in the Parks program to look out at a courthouse that was the setting of several high-profile trials of sexual harassment and abuse, including against Harvey Weinstein, has drawn criticism both from the predictable misogynists but also some who share the principles of Me Too, however. Some in social media have called its metaphor flawed, saying Medusa is shown killing the wrong assailant, which might convey that women want to target all men with retribution rather than just bring justice to their attackers. https://twitter.com/AnneMartinConn/status/1314734404799991811 Adweek spoke with both the statue's artist and his supporter who led the charge to bring the statue to New York about the responses they've already seen to the statue, which will be on display in the city through April 30, 2021. Adweek: How did the artwork end up finding a home in NYC?Bek Andersen, founder, MWTH Project: I saw Luciano Garbati’s sculpture of Medusa on Instagram in October of 2018. The photograph of the sculpture had text added to it, “Be grateful we only want equality and not payback." Within 15 minutes of seeing the image, I had contacted a patron of the arts and arranged funding with the condition that if we could find a place to exhibit the bronze, he would produce it. With that information, I arranged a phone meeting with Luciano for that evening. On that call, Luciano said that he wanted the work to be available for the public and not hidden away in a private collection. After considering institutions around the city, we felt that NYC Parks would be the ideal institution to present the work. We applied to the NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program, and had no idea if they would accept it, but it was our first choice, and we are so thrilled to be presenting the work through their program. Luciano Garbati, sculptor: I was in my studio and Bek called me. We talked for an hour and half, and it was one of the strangest conversations and resulted in this collaboration of producing the bronze as well as replicas of Medusa. How would you describe the intent of the statue's specific placement? Garbati: The location is important because it is a public park, and also because the statue is positioned to face the doors of the New York County Criminal Courthouse at 100 Centre St. in Manhattan. The sculpture explores themes of justice, so having it placed where justice is served seemed like the perfect spot. The initial response to the statue seemed very positive, but then became more mixed as word spread. How would you describe the reaction you saw after the statue's placement was announced? Andersen: It is exciting that images of the work have generated a dynamic conversation. I don’t take issue with anyone’s response, and I don't think any reaction could be considered “wrong.” It is an emotionally charged sculpture, and it is understandable that viewers have a strong reaction to the work. The reality is that mythology and history are both told from the perspective of a narrator with an implicit bias. But the inversion of the myth destabilizes what many consider to be a fixed history, and that can be an uncomfortable idea. Garbati: I would say that I have already seen many of these types of responses because there was a similar reaction in 2018. I think that the overall response is positive and that’s where I prefer to focus. I strongly believe that there is nothing better for a work of art than an emotional response, because that’s where most of its power is displayed. Due to the hundreds of messages I have received since the image went viral, I know for a fact that most of the positive responses have been very emotional. In many of those messages, mostly from women, I read about difficult personal stories, hard challenges they faced, how the image has become important to them and helped them to heal. Many of those messages had pictures attached of tattoos with the image of Medusa. Artistic metaphors are notoriously complex, but many people seem hung up on the specifics of the mythology: Medusa was raped by Poseidon, not Perseus, leading some to argue the wrong perpetrator is paying the price. But of course, Perseus also broke into her home to kill her. Do you have any concerns about the way the metaphor could be interpreted? Garbati: We, as artists, have no control on how people respond to our work. My sculpture is in dialogue with other historical sculptures which show Perseus holding Medusa’s head, such as works by Benvenuto Cellini and Antonio Canova, or even Perseus in the instant previous to the decapitation as Honore Marqueste’s masterpiece. It makes sense to me to choose that particular moment of the myth because that is the climax of the narrative. By showing Medusa holding Perseus' head, I could invert the myth and have her whole story in there, her whole tragedy on her shoulders. Moreover, if you look at her gaze, you could imagine a presence there. Some imagination involved in our perception of art can make the metaphors even more beautiful. Other critics have said Medusa's body, sculpted by a male artist, is idealized and hairless. How would you respond to those who want to see more naturalism and representation even in fantastical art? Garbati: The sculpture is made in response to and in the tradition of Greek and Roman classical styles. An idealized body is an important part of those traditions, and cultures and pubic hair have never been part of that visual language. Andersen: If you look at sculptures in these traditions, the figures are nude, muscular and hairless. Covering the body, and shame around nudity in art and life came much later to Europe, after the Renaissance. The shame around nudity, driven by Protestant ideology, is considered by many to be another form of patriarchal control over women’s bodies. What kind of conversations do you hope the Medusa statue will spark among those who see it in person? Andersen: My hope is that the work inspires viewers to question who is telling the stories that shape our worldview, and to what end? Garbati: I hope to see conversations that promote gender equality. But I also would like to see conversations connected to the emotions people feel when viewing the work, such as empathy. Through connecting to the work, I hope people continue to feel comfortable to share their stories with others.