About Medusa

Medusa explores the relationship between art and commerce. In its various forms, art has often intersected with commerce in complex ways. While art is traditionally associated with creativity and self-expression, commerce brings a different and sometimes difficult dynamic to the art world. The commodification of art can shift the focus from artistic value to financial value, potentially distorting the perception of art as a whole.

The project Medusa dives into this topic head-on; a commercial replica statue of Bernini’s famous sculpture of Medusa is the start of a Chinese whisper-like chain where alternations between commercial products and photographic artworks take place. By doing so, the line between art and commerce gets blurred. 

The iconography of Medusa in the history of art is big; not only is she the star of famous paintings by Caravaggio and Rubens, she was also used as an apotropaic device in Greek art, supposedly used to ward off evil spirits. The head of Medusa can also be found in ancient Roman mosaic floors discovered all over Europe. And even now, Medusa is an inspiration for numerous artists and often makes appearances in popular culture.

With such a rich iconography the commercial replica of Bernini’s Medusa makes the perfect case study. Themes such as transformation and reproduction are central to this project and questions of the value of art, photography and commerce within the art world are being raised.

Medusa is the first part of a larger ongoing series containing other replica statues of famous sculptures. Once the apex of the art world, today, these sculptures also serve as a starting point for a merchandising machine.