In her current study on "The Return of the Old Ghosts", Nathalie Koger continues to analyse institutionalised gender roles. The starting point for her work on representations and order systems was the inventory of the glyptotheque and the copper engraving cabinet as a collection of teaching materials. It was there that Koger discovered the symbol of virtue and resistance in the mythological figure of the amazons.
Miriam Kathrein
Yet I was soon to understand that, psychoanalytically, the diverse types of amazons and their public presence by means of a multitude of copies are interpreted as a sacrificial trophy. What a disappointment! But, as Elisabeth Priedl writes: "If the Amazon myth is about a transgression of the female gender role, it means that – due to its widespread character – it was socially highly relevant, though feared."
For the exhibition in the adjacent room of the picture gallery the empty pedestal of the Amazon Mattei was placed in the entry area. A confrontation in space was meant to take place, which, however, was not to be licensed, and in consequence, instead of standing in the centre, the pedestal was to occupy an inconspicuous place in the corner of the room.
Nathalie Koger
