Artist Serena Korda created three sculptures named ‘Crones’. The name comes from folk tales, where a crone is a witch-like character. It was a negative stereotype of older women, who were often pushed aside.
The artist wanted to change that negative into a positive.
In the 1600s and 1700s, lots of ‘Venus’ statues made women’s bodies look visually appealing. Medical training models used to learn about women’s anatomy also sexualised women’s bodies. Why was that needed?
So Korda decided to create the sculptures to show the bodies of real women and their old-age beauty. She modelled the statues on real women from England’s West Country, aged 44 to 76 years old. All of their bodies have been through change: a mixture of perimenopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal women.
You can see the sculptures are partially dissected; one is like a caesarean, for example, showing real women’s bodies.
You will see an abundance of apples.
In the Bible story of the Garden of Eden, Eve walked up to the tree and took the “forbidden fruit”. She ignored the rule, and took the apple.
The artist connects this story to how women’s bodies are getting older, and are often hidden and pushed to the side as something ‘uncomfortable’.
This pervasive attitude has been around for years, and the artist wanted to change that, linking it to nature.
Apples show how women have lived an incredible life, with lots of experience and memories. Women are full of knowledge and power.
A sound piece evokes wassailing, an ancient folk gathering to bless apple trees to ensure a successful harvest, to honour women.