Before Pino Poggi dedicated his environments to the interpretation of Greek myths, he used them to describe the topics, still relevant today, of environmental pollution, the issues of human communication, loneliness and captivity.

The AU Environment “Medusa” was first set up in 2008 at the exhibition Hysteria at the KGLU. The central point of this interpretation of the Greek myth of Medusa is a cathode-ray tube television floating in the room and covered by torn electrical cables. Instead of a screen there are two smaller screens. The electrical cables represent the hair of the terrible Gorgon, while the two screens represent her eyes. The television is the Medusa of today, turning us into stone. And as we stand before it, happily petrified, behavioural algorithms are inscribed into our brains. By placing mirrors around the room, the artist introduces another dimension, as well as reflections that on the symbolic level refer directly to Perseus’s deception, with which he defeated Medusa.

Text: Jernej Kožar