NEW YORK – A seven-foot sculpture, titled Medusa with the Head of Perseus will be unveiled on Tuesday, October 13 in Collect Pond Park, Centre Street in Lower Manhattan, across from the Manhattan Supreme Court, the New York Post reported.

Sculptor Luciano Garbati posted on Instagram: “After a few months’ delay due to the pandemic, the wait is finally over. Selected by the City of New York’s park administration to be unveiled in front of the County Criminal Courthouse in Collect Pond Park on next Tuesday, 10/13, "Medusa with the head of Perseus" will be installed for 6 months in the Big Apple.

“The place chosen is not accidental, since there they judge cases for crimes related to violence against women. We are already in the final stage working on the last details of this sculpture that became a symbol of justice for many women. Thanks to all those who have supported and continue to support me @mwthproject @bekandersen @vanessasolomonsculpt.”

 

 

 

 

 

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After a few months’ delay due to the pandemic, the wait is finally over. Selected by the City of New York’s park administration to be unveiled in front of the County Criminal Courthouse in Collect Pond Park on next Tuesday, 10/13, "Medusa with the head of Perseus" will be installed for 6 months in the Big Apple. The place chosen is not accidental, since there they judge cases for crimes related to violence against women. We are already in the final stage working on the last details of this sculpture that became a symbol of justice for many women. Thanks to all those who have supported and continue to support me @mwthproject @bekandersen @vanessasolomonsculpt . . La fecha era en abril y la pandemia sólo lo retrasó algunos meses. Seleccionada por la administración de parques de la Ciudad de Nueva de York para ser ubicada frente al Tribunal Penal del Estado de Nueva York, finalmente el próximo martes 13/10 “Medusa con la cabeza de Perseo” será instalada por 6 meses en la Gran Manzana. El lugar elegido no es casual, ya que allí juzgan los casos por delitos vinculados a la violencia contra la mujer. Ya estamos en la recta final trabajando en los últimos detalles de esta escultura que se convirtió en un símbolo de justicia para muchas mujeres. Gracias a todxs lxs que me acompañan. #medusa #feminism #sculpture #justice #art #perseus #mythology #feminismos

A post shared by Luciano Garbati (@lucianogarbati) on Oct 8, 2020 at 9:24am PDT

According to the Post, “the 1,000-pound bronze sculpture is a reimagined version of Medusa, a figure of ancient Greek mythology who was raped by one of the most powerful gods, Poseidon. But instead of Poseidon being punished, Medusa was blamed and transformed into a monstrous beast with snakes for hair, as well as a gaze that could turn men into stone.

“She was exiled and later hunted down by Perseus, who then displayed her head on his shield as a trophy. The new effigy, however, gives Medusa a different ending, depicting her as empowered as she holds Perseus’ severed head in defiance.”

Founder of the Medusa with the Head of Perseus Project Bek Andersen told the Post that “[Garbati] didn’t just flip the script and put a female shape on a male experience, he looked into the story and asked the question, ‘What would it look like if she were able to defend herself?’”

Andersen said that “though the statue was first created in 2008, it has taken on new meaning during the #MeToo movement,” the Post reported.

“What she represents is an ancient narrative of victim-shaming for being raped and we’re not going to take that anymore and that’s not how things are going to work going forward,” Andersen told the Post, adding that it is “powerful” that the statue will be on view in Collect Pond Park, “just steps from the trial that capped off Weinstein’s stunning fall from grace.”

“The fact that women are finally, in this moment, finding their voice together is what has allowed this work to come forward and has allowed the prosecution against Weinstein to actualize,” Andersen told the Post.

“With support from the NYC Parks Department, the statue will be on view for six months,” the Post reported.

“My hope is that when people walk out of the courthouse, they will connect with [the statue] and they will have either have accomplished a comfortable sense of justice of themselves or feel empowered to continue to fight for equality for those being prosecuted,” Andersen told the Post.