Wild Apples focuses on an underrepresented subject: the older woman, whose portrayal has been a derided and largely hidden figure throughout history. Often associated with the Witch, Hag, or Crone, Serena Korda references this history attempting to reclaim the wild women in ancient stories, who have been lost through patriarchal retelling and distortion.

Serena's artwork at East Quay delves into womanhood with a particular focus on the transformative phase of menopause. The exhibition will feature a series of newly commissioned sculptures modelled on real, West Country women, each bearing the marks and traces of their lives. It aims to challenge negative stereotypes while questioning the lack of understanding and body shaming which is prevalent in medical institutions. Sculpted from life, Serena also challenges the historical relationship between male artists and female muses.

The women are dissected, laid bare, and displayed on carved tree trunks, evoking the garden of earthly delights and referencing the ‘Slashed Venus’, hypersexualised diagnostic tools of the 17th Century. The figures are smaller than life-size, conflating representations with woodland Nymphs or Fairy Changelings, popular characters in Greek Mythology and British/Celtic folklore. They stand accompanied by familiars; life-sized woodland creatures fostering a dialogue that challenges the male gaze through a representation of different female bodies. Each sculpture bears the real name of Serena’s muse and are exhibited alongside a prototype based on Serena's own body and likeness, as she herself identifies as someone heading into the early stages of menopause.

The sculptures are accompanied by 300 hand-painted, cast ceramic apples sourced from local orchards. Symbolic of Somerset, the apple will explore themes of female fertility and its biblical association with 'the forbidden fruit.' The installation weaves a narrative around the ancient Somerset ritual of Wassailing, in which people sing to apple trees warding off evil spirits whilst inviting in good to ensure for a fruitful harvest. Field recordings from recent Wassails form part of a new soundscape and the apples invite viewers into a space between reality and another world. This narrative connects fertility rites with societal expectations during menopause.

Wild Apples extends into Gallery 2 at East Quay, featuring Serena's film, The Transmitters. Created in 2012. The film explores the fine line between adolescent fan frenzy, freedom of expression, and perceived female hysteria. Drawing inspiration from archival footage of fan-frenzied young women during Beatlemania, the film is interspersed with imagery of the Tarantula spider, alluding to the Italian folk phenomenon Tarantism. This ecstatic dance is performed by women who are “coming of age” who have allegedly been bitten by a spider - the only way to exude its poison is to perform this ritual. In this presentation, alongside her interrogation of the older female figure, Serena comes full circle, from adolescence to menopause - challenging how we see women in some of their most vulnerable times.