AMANTA SCOTT: EYEING MEDUSA — Orillia Museum of Art & History, 2023

INSTALLATION VIEWS | ABOUT EYEING MEDUSA | PAINTINGS & STORIES | VIDEOS

Eyeing Medusa features over 50 interactive encaustic paintings and 8 videos. The paintings parallel visionary contemporary women of all ages, cultures and walks of life with legendary heroines. Fusing the past with the present to illuminate urgent contemporary social issues, the works invite viewers to look at women in a new light. 

I paint just their faces: recognizable yet abstracted, huge, closeup so we look into their eyes without distraction. We don’t think about their body shape or size, hairstyle or clothes. We gaze deep into the eyes and see the soul, the mind, recognizing what remarkable people they are. The titles of these works reference well known myths, so I did not illustrate the stories. Instead of presenting women as victims, the paintings celebrate women as heroic survivors: wise, brave and determined. This challenges traditional representations of women in art which normalize objectification and violence against women. I explore the myths of legendary individuals to contextualize recurring patterns in history, understand the psychological motivations of each archetype and connect emotionally with their struggles, strength and resilience. I paint empowered individuals who campaign for peace and human rights, challenge toxic ideas about women, and raise awareness of rape as a weapon of war, colonization, control and oppression, and the destruction of our planet. 

The installation is named for Medusa, the archetypal wronged-woman of Greek mythology. Torn from her spiritual path, raped, blamed, banished and ultimately beheaded, Medusa’s story echoes that of countless women throughout history. While her monstrous rage and debilitating grief petrifies all who look upon her, viewing Medusa is possible via a mirror. Eyeing this ancient wild/wise woman requires facing our own fears, culpability and difficult questions— so that we may recognize and stop perpetuating unhealthy beliefs and behaviours. Eyeing Medusa aims to shift perspectives and change historically toxic narratives by focusing on respect, empowerment and self-actualization.

A Quick Glance at the Paintings