Medea group show - ruben pang

Ruben Pang, “Medea, my undivided self”, is on view at Antico Mercato di Ortigia, Siracusa

The Medea painted by Pang is a powerful and indomitable praying mantis: the female of the insect, whose mating dances suggest sacred rituals, is induced by instinct to devour the male to ensure nourishment for the eggs it will lay. The ability to deceive, to premeditate, and to act suddenly are contradictory characteristics which, for the artist, are well suited to the heroine. In an atmosphere that evokes the surrealism of Salvador Dali and Max Ernst, Medea, armed with a knife, defeats the dragon, dominates the spirit of the golden fleece and subdues Jason, who performs two actions simultaneously: fight with the dragon and sinks hands in the fleece. At his feet is the body of one of his murdered sons. The other victim, says the artist, is outside the picture observing the scene.