Once upon a time, before time began to tell her story as a monster, Medusa was a woman, extraordinarily beautiful, with eyes that caught the light like water, and hair that resembled a living stream. She served in the temple of the goddess Athena – a priestess dedicated to chastity and silence. But holiness does not protect her. Poseidon, the god of the sea, conquers her, some say, by seduction, others by violence – and in the very temple of Athena. The goddess’s response was not a punishment for the man, but a transformation of the woman. Medusa lost everything: her beauty, her body, her face, her immortality. In return, she received hair that turned into snakes and a gaze that petrified. Thus begins the myth, in which the monster is born not from evil, but from the untold pain of the victim.
The bronze head of Medusa is a decorative element from one of the Nemi ships built by Caligula around 37-41 AD. It is now located in the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme in Rome .
Medusa and the Art of Fear
Her fate does not stop with the curse. The hero Perseus, armed with the gifts of the gods, kills her without meeting her eyes. Even after her death, her head remains a weapon – used in battles, fixed on the shield of Athena, exploited in the name of someone else’s glory.
Medusa becomes a trophy. Into a “thing”. Into an image that instills terror, but no longer has a voice.
The newest work by artist Luciano Garbati ‘Medusa With The Head of Perseus’
The Gorgon as a symbol of power that culture suppresses
Far from myth, in psychology Medusa is the image of that part of us that is disfigured by shame. Female power, sexuality, intuition or anything that does not fit into social norms becomes a monster. The snakes in her hair are not just a curse. They are knowledge, untamed, primal and profound. Her gaze is paralyzing, not because it is evil, but because it makes people face the truth. In front of your own fears. Medusa is the one you cannot look at without seeing yourself.
ANTONIA TOCHKA Self-portrait with pencil
Medusa in MetaSelf: Guardian of Transition
In MetaSelf, the Gorgon is the archetype of transformation through pain. She is the figure that goes from a fragile victim to the embodiment of raw power. Two extremes meet in her face: vulnerability and invincibility. She is that borderline image you encounter when you finally dare to see yourself without illusions. Only the one who bears her gaze can continue on towards their own wholeness.
ANTONIA TOCHKA Self-portrait with pencil, printed graphic on 100% cotton
Medusa as a figure of cultural violence
Over the centuries, the myths surrounding her have become intertwined with even deeper messages: Her immortality was taken away in order to be punished: not only for the crime she did not commit, but also for the power she did not ask for. The snakes in her hair supposedly make her repulsive, but in reality they protect her. Her voice is taken away, but her gaze continues to speak. Even dead, she is not liberated, but transformed into an apotropaic icon – a weapon with which others win battles.
The logo of the fashion house Versace, which contains the image of Medusa
The Gorgon and Versace: the modern myth
In 1978, Gianni Versace chose Medusa as the symbol of his fashion empire. Not because she is a monster, but because she is irresistible: “People who see her cannot resist her,” he says. Medusa becomes a logo of power, seduction and the golden inviolability of desire. But like any mythological figure that is brought too boldly into reality, it begins to take revenge. In 1997, Gianni Versace was shot in front of his home: an act that tears the boundary between art and death. Between the body and timelessness. Between glamour and curse.
MetaSelf and Medusa: Reclaiming Power
META MEDUSA fashion drawing by Antonia Tochka
Medusa is not an enemy, but a missing part of the female soul.
META MEDUSA fashion drawing by Antonia Tochka
She is that image that must be reclaimed, healed, acknowledged.
META MEDUSA fashion drawing by Antonia Tochka
In MetaSelf, she is the Gorgon of rebirth, the being who not only survives, but also protects.
Antonia Tochka Meta Gorgon, photohrapher Milen Radev, model Slavinia Katsartska.
This is not a story about a monster.
Antonia Tochka Meta MEDUSA, photohrapher Milen Radev, model Slavinia Katsartska.Antonia Tochka Meta Medusa, photohrapher Milen Radev, model Eliza ArmoutlievaMETA MEDUSA TOTAL, photohrapher Milen Radev, model Slavinia Katsartska, Antonia Pashova
This is a story about a woman who has stopped asking for forgiveness.
META MEDUSA TOTAL, the actual product is made from the printed hand drawingMETA MEDUSA TOTAL, photohrapher Milen Radev, model Antonia PashovaAntonia Tochka Meta Medusa, photohrapher Milen Radev, model Eliza ArmoutlievaAntonia Tochka Meta Medusa, photohrapher Milen Radev, model Eliza ArmoutlievaAntonia Tochka Meta MEDUSA Fox Mask, photographer Milen Radev, model Antonia PashovaAntonia Tochka Meta Medusa, photohrapher Milen Radev, model Eliza ArmoutlievaAntonia Tochka Meta Medusa, photohrapher Milen Radev, model Eliza ArmoutlievaMETA MEDUSA TRANSFORMING SILHOUETTE, THE PRODUCT, STUDIO PICTUREAntonia Tochka Meta Medusa, photohrapher Milen Radev, model Eliza ArmoutlievaMETA MEDUSA TRANSFORMING SILHOUETTE, THE PRODUCT, STUDIO PICTUREMETA MEDUSA TRANSFORMING SILHOUETTE, THE PRODUCT, STUDIO PICTURE
