The Harley Foundation on the Welbeck Estate presents a new exhibition by British artist Serena Korda, from 16 May to 6 September 2026. Triple Goddess brings together new ceramic sculptures with significant earlier works, many never seen in the UK, to explore three archetypes of a woman’s life: Maiden, Mother, and Crone.
In the contemporary Harley Gallery, visitors will see vivid, human-scaled ceramic sculptures in rich colours, alongside new ceramic family portraits created with the artist’s six-year-old daughter. Next door, in the Harley Foundation’s museum, two life-sized crone figures will be shown amongst historic artworks collected over 400 years by the Cavendish family and their descendants.
Drawing on history, folklore, and myth, Korda reconsiders established narratives through a feminist lens. Working predominantly in ceramics, she embraces the medium’s notorious difficulty – its imperfections, its domestic associations, and its decorative traditions. Triple Goddess interrogates ideas of inheritance, creativity, and female agency.
The exhibition unfolds in three chapters: Maiden, Mother, and Crone – each exploring a different archetype and experience of a woman’s life:
Maiden
Inspired by Penelope’s handmaidens in The Odyssey, The Maidens (2023) is a series of fantastical headdresses, gloves, and disembodied hands. The work reflects Korda’s interest in how women in myth find quiet forms of rebellion through craft, using it as a subtle act of resistance. Penelope and her maids weave by day and unpick by night to fend off unwelcome suitors. The Maidens functions as a set of portraits of this female chorus, each figure suggested through accessories and styles drawn from across time; ribbons, flesh, and fabric captured in the immovable medium of ceramics — a moment frozen and glazed.
Mother
Upstairs in the Harley Gallery, Korda presents a new series of family portraits made in collaboration with her six-year-old daughter. Taking inspiration from the Portland Collection – assembled over 400 years by the Cavendish family and renowned for its important miniatures – these intimate works echo portraits once carried as personal mementos. The new family portraits draw on both Korda’s own lineage and that of the Cavendish family, each shaped by strong female figures.
Crone
Two Crones, Sarah and Ruth, are displayed in the Museum on the Welbeck Estate. These figurative sculptures reference eighteenth-century “Venus” models — idealised figures, adorned with jewellery and real hair, cut away to reveal internal anatomy. In contrast, Korda’s crones are sculpted from life, honouring the reality of older women’s bodies.
To accompany the exhibition, there will be a programme of associated gallery talks, a ceramic masterclass with the artist in the Harley Pottery Studio, a family-friendly opening event which includes a puppet show, and a chance for young people to get creative with the artist in our Harley Young Artist (ages 11-16) and Discover Art! (ages 7-11) sessions. For more information and booking please visit https://harleyfoundation.org.uk/whats-on/
- Serena Korda: Triple Goddess is on show at the Harley Foundation, Nottinghamshire from 16 May 2026 – 6 September 2026.
- The exhibition is free to enter and there is a large, free car park.
- The gallery is open every day. Please check harleyfoundation.org.uk for opening times.
- The Harley Foundation is on the Welbeck estate, on the A60 south of Worksop. It is 15 minutes from both the A1 and M1.
Posted on 21 April 2026
