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  • Between Layers: From Foil to Gold - The Metamorphosis collection

    Between Layers: From Foil to Gold - The Metamorphosis collection

    Between Layers: From Foil to Gold - The Metamorphosis collection

    Regular price £400.00 GBP
    Regular price Sale price £400.00 GBP
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  • Gilded Metamorphosis - The Metamorphosis collection

    Gilded Metamorphosis - The Metamorphosis collection

    Gilded Metamorphosis - The Metamorphosis collection

    Regular price £400.00 GBP
    Regular price Sale price £400.00 GBP
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  • The Foiled Serpent - The Metamorphosis collection

    The Foiled Serpent - The Metamorphosis collection

    The Foiled Serpent - The Metamorphosis collection

    Regular price £400.00 GBP
    Regular price Sale price £400.00 GBP
    Unit price /  per 

Snakes, women and myths

Snakes, as we know, are not capable of feeling emotions due to their brain structures. The fact that history has repeatedly used snakes to dehumanise and desensitise the image of women has profoundly impacted me, leaving me to wish I were incapable of feeling complex emotions like love.

The inspiration behind my clay snakes stems from the historical use of snakes to demonise women. A prime example is the story of Lilith in Mesopotamian mythology. Lilith, the first woman of Adam before Eve, refused to obey Adam and left the Garden of Eden. She took with her a stone, which she added to a ring as a reminder of who she was, who she chose to become, and her fight for independence and worth as a woman. Three angels attempted in vain to force her to return to the garden, and since then, she has been demonised by popular culture for not accepting a submissive role. Representing chaos and seduction, Michelangelo depicted her during the Renaissance as half-woman, half-serpent. Since the feminist movement of the 1960s, Lilith has become a symbol of independence.

Another example is Medusa, portrayed in Greek mythology as a woman with snakes for hair, capable of turning to stone anyone who gazed into her eyes. Medusa was a beautiful servant in Athena’s temple who caught the attention of Poseidon, who harassed her. As punishment, Athena silenced and demonised Medusa by turning her into a monster, ensuring that no one would ever be able to look into her eyes again.

Through my clay snake sculptures, I reclaim these narratives, transforming symbols of fear and oppression into emblems of resilience, power, and the untamable spirit of women, while embracing the seduction of darkness that intertwines with their stories.

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