What does the new Medusa statue mean in New York?
3:51
(CNN Spanish) -
A statue of more than two meters high of the mythological figure of Medusa was recently erected in front of the courts of New York as a tribute to the Me Too movement.
The work of the Argentine Luciano Garbati inverts the classic myth and presents Medusa as the victor over her murderer Perseus.
"What my character does in this version of Medusa is defend himself from the aggressor and in this case prevails over him," Garbati said during an interview with CNN.
According to the story, Medusa was a beautiful woman who guarded with her life the temple of the goddess Athena.
After being raped by the god of the sea, Poseidon, she was cursed by Athena with a monstrous head of serpents and a look capable of turning her admirers to stone.
One night, while sleeping, she was beheaded by the demigod Perseus who raised her head like a trophy.
But in Garbati's version, it is Medusa who beheads Perseus and drags his head with one hand while holding a sword in the other.
The statue is located in a plaza near the Supreme Court of New York.
Garbati assured that, at the time of creating the original figure in Argentina, in 2008, he had the myth of Medusa very present and sought to present the story from his perspective.
“I found it interesting to imagine a sculpture that would put the accent on the figure of Medusa, that is, from her perspective that, well, it could be understood as a tragedy, a story full of atrocities, injustice and I found that interesting,” said Garbati.
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“When I finally decided to make the sculpture, I realized that in addition to putting the accent there I was going to turn the myth precisely and it seemed a very interesting challenge to capture the emotionality that could be involved in this character after the battle with Perseus, having prevailed over him and having saved his life. "
At the time, Garbati also did not imagine that the work entitled "Medusa with the head of Perseus" would become a symbol of the feminist struggle, but ten years later it generated interest again when an image of the work went viral at the same time as The Me Too movement was beginning to gather strength.
“The viralization took me by surprise because the sculpture was in my workshop for 10 years and the fact that after this post on Facebook it went viral of course surprised me.
The process by which she has finally been identified as, well, a symbol, an image of empowerment and feminist struggle also surprised and praised me greatly, ”Garbati said.
Today, with his unmistakable mane of snakes and an intense gaze capable of turning his enemies to stone, a new bronze version of the mythological figure of Medusa stands imposing and defiant, precisely, in front of the court where in March he was tried and Condemned movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, a landmark chosen by Garbati after being invited to exhibit the work as part of the city's "Art in the Parks" program.
“Walking I came across this square.
I realized that I was surrounded by buildings of the judiciary, that is, places where justice is done, justice is dispensed, rather, and just as the image had been associated with justice and in particular from the perspective of women I It seemed that this was a significant place and that it made sense to propose this and not another place for this sculpture ”.
Garbati says the response has been generally positive.
Some women who have been victims of violence have told her their own stories, however, the work has also generated controversy.
Some criticize the fact that an image created by a man has been linked to a movement driven by women.
“It seems peculiar to me to have to respond to these criticisms because I am not in control, no matter how much I want to put the desire that what I do become something, I do not have control over people and what people are going to think, ”Garbati said.
“I made a sculpture and that sculpture generated effects, it was somehow chosen and again I had no participation in that choice.
Therefore, I believe that sculpture has an efficacy that completely exceeds me, because the meaning that was finally assigned to the work does not depend on me ”.
Works exist, according to Garbati, precisely when they arouse interest, arouse emotions and invite people to reflect, question and ask.
For the artist, this is precisely what this Medusa creation unleashed in itself.
It presented him with an unexpected opportunity to examine the social structure and his own identity.
"It was an invitation to take that journey, to question myself, to ask myself and to begin to identify things with which, well, I do not identify myself, which perhaps were deeply rooted in me because I was also the fruit of a patriarchal society," said Garbati.
"Retracing that path is not easy and I believe that our participation as men is necessary to make a decisive change, I believe that it is impossible otherwise."
The sculpture will be on display at Collect Pond Park in lower Manhattan until April 30.
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