Medusa’s Laugh

Created in 2018, this works refers to the events of March and May 1967 in the context of the centenary celebration of Poland’s independence and the centenary of the granting of voting rights to women. It features an embroidered fragment of Ewa Majewska’s statement, which reads: “(…) yesterday March, today May,” a speculation about when May (in the context of 1968) would finally arrive in Poland. 

I have selected some quotes from the writer Hélène Cixous, which were then embroidered on the fabric:

“The new history is coming; it’s not a dream […]. She’s beautiful and she’s laughing. […] Her libido is cosmic, just as her unconscious is worldly […] No; it’s up to you to break the old circuits. Oral drive, anal drive, vocal drive – all these drives are our strengths. […] I want all of us. Woman of course has a desire for a “loving desire” and not a jealous one.”

In the embroidery, Medusa is represented by an image of a jellyfish – a smiling toy, rather than the ancient sister of Gorgons – and is a reiteration of the irony underpinning Cixous’ essay.