Killer Queen Installation

Killer Queen The similarities between ancient females in Rome and in India was striking. There were three categorisations of women based on their sexuality, Mother, Virgin or Prostitute. This fascinated me and I explored the concept through the mythology of Medusa, an icon of the tale of the Vagina Dentata. The myth began with Medusa being raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple, a part of the story that is not often narrated. Her beauty was envied and caused jealousy, she was ultimately punished by Athena. Previously sourced Indian hair extensions from Delhi, which I transported to Rome - my desire was to create an installation that would represent the black haired, dark skinned woman who was self-governing. 'Killer Queen' became my interpretation of the head of Medusa. I collected a stone head from the Director’s private garden and methodically created fifty snakes from the hair extensions. Further research discovered hairstyles worn by the Vestal Virgins, seven braids formed with red and white cotton, I recreated these seven braids and they were placed amongst the snakes. The mix of Indian and Western was now complete and Medusa represented the Indo-European myth. My Medusa was to remain beautiful and narrate her sexual abuse through the red taped eyes. This allowed the viewer to gaze upon her without fear. The small circular mirrors among her red snaked hair paid lip service to her myth. Then, to protect my Medusa I applied a red bindi on her forehead, this was her third eye chakra. She became an important companion in the studio for over three weeks, she remained to me a beautiful woman, who suffered abuse and was cast as the ‘other' because of her visual identity. My interpretation of the birth of Pegasus from her neck after her decapitation, was that of an ejaculation of her demons.

Installation:Found Objects on Soft (Yarn, Cotton, Fabric)

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:35.4 W x 35.4 H x 35.3 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.