By Seren Charrington Hollins 
Ageing is the one thing we all have in common. No matter who we are, what gender, class or title we carry we will inevitably age and I must confess that as my children grow, I am suddenly and acutely aware of how quickly time is passing and the canter of the years. So, when I heard of an exhibition entitled, ‘The Coming of Age’, was open at the Wellcome Collection I was compelled to go along and I wasn’t disappointed. Bringing together more than 120 artworks, objects and research projects that present ageing in all its facets. Including historical artefacts and works by contemporary artists including John Coplans, Serena Korda, Suzanne Lacy, Anna Maria Maiolino, Rory Pilgrim, Paula Rego and many others, this is a poignant exhibition that illustrates beautifully that ageing is more than just years clocked up and more than purely a biological process. It offers a very human experience of ageing and examines how our experience is shaped by inequality, culture and everyday life. Posing the question of: who gets to age well? As well as raising the issue of who gets to live longer? These are important questions and this exhibition is fascinating, thought provoking and explores how our experience of ageing is ultimately shaped by our environment.
As I stood watching a video of a bowl of fruit decaying by the artist Sam Taylor-Wood, the message of how we are all ageing from the moment we are born became more apparent. The footage of Taylor-Wood’s piece is sped up, and you watch as the bowl of fruit age and eventually turn to dust, whilst a biro placed in front of it remains unchanged. We only really start to think about the process of ageing once we get into our forties and fifties, but this fantastic exhibition looks at age across the spectrum.
When I first entered the Wellcome Collection space I took some time to read the reflections of other visitors that were provided by the museum. Cards are provided for visitors to fill in and leave for other visitors to read. These cards have headings that prompt you to write a message, the headings included, , ‘Something that I wish my younger self had known about being older is…..’ and ‘As I get older I worry about….’ I spent a good amount of time reading the messages written by other visitors and it gave a wonderful insight into the lives of other people, people I had not met and probably never will, but more than anything it showed common themes running through individual and often very different lives.
The frailty of old age was represented in a Zimmer frame sculpture that was rickety and fragile in appearance. The piece entitled, ‘Zimmer’ by Daphne Wright (2019), was explores the tension between support and frailty. Zimmer frames were designed to help mobility they are also symbols of loss.
I felt much better about suddenly changing my skin care routine to one that promises age resisting properties as I stood looking at a display of Blueprint products by Bryan Johnson, who’s extreme experiments to defy ageing has included blood plasma transfusions from his teenage son and gene therapy. His marketing of costly anti-ageing product subscription starts at $333 per month and he has also founded the ‘Don’t Die’ movement in which ageing is cited as being an optional activity.
After spending two hours wandering around the exhibition, I enjoyed a lovely lunch of wild mushroom tart and two salads in their vibrant café, before perusing the gift shop and their excellent selection of book titles. A few book purchases and the obligatory fridge magnet and I was time to head home, but not before picking up a brochure of the upcoming events, because I will return to see other exhibitions in this fantastic space.
I thoroughly enjoyed taking in this exhibition, it was two hours very well spent, and my journey home was spent reflecting over not only how long we live, but how well we live, about the quality of life, ageism and life experience. This exhibition was very well executed and thought provoking, it is a broad subject that has been handled incredibly well, it is challenging, yet sensitive and balanced. Those responsible for putting together this well woven exhibition should be very proud. I urge you to go and see it for yourself, allow a few hours, there is a lot to see.
The Wellcome Collection in north London, is a free museum and library. It first opened in 2007 and is part of the Wellcome Trust and holds enviable collections linked to medicine and the human experience.
The Coming of Age exhibition will be open to the public until 29th November 2026 and is well worth a visit.
