The Coming of Age Exhibition, Wellcome Collection: A Brilliant, Thought-Provoking Look at Ageing

By Rachel Lankester, Editor

Ageing fascinates me.

We have this idea that ageing kicks in around the age of 40 or 50. But actually, we’re all ageing from the day we’re born. It’s this life course approach to ageing that I believe is far more positive and realistic than thinking it’s something that only happens to us in later life. I’m so fascinated by ageing I did a master’s degree in gerontology!

Recently, I visited a phenomenal exhibition in London at the Wellcome Collection. It’s a free exhibition, running until November 2026 and I really recommend everybody goes to see it! I spent two hours there and could happily have spent even longer. If you’re looking for an exhibition about ageing in London, this is one not to miss.

It’s a fascinating look at experiences and perceptions of ageing, from adolescence to later life and it asks how societies can adapt to help us all age better.

Living Longer, But Not Always Better

The Coming of Age exhibition demonstrates how, across the globe, people are living longer. One in ten children in the UK are expected to live beyond the age of 100. But while we may be living longer, we’re not necessarily living healthier or happier lives.

Who gets to live longer and ‘age well’? What does it mean to ‘age well’? The exhibition explores how our experiences of age are shaped by our environment, our culture and our society.

Respect For Age

The exhibit begins with an exploration of what it means to turn 100 in Japan. Japan is one of the most age-friendly societies in the world and it also has one of the longest life expectancies. It’s an advanced, super-ageing society, but also subject to low birth rates.

Since 1963, the government has presented every citizen turning 100 with a commemorative silver sake cup. This takes place on Respect for the Aged Day, a public holiday.

Isn’t that incredible? A public holiday specifically designed to pay respect to older people. I think that needs to be a global phenomenon.

In its first year, only 153 cups were awarded. By 2014, that number had risen to over 29,000, costing around £1.2 million. The scheme was briefly halted before resuming with cheaper nickel alloy cups.

It raises an interesting question about respect and resource. Do we value a 100-year life differently when it becomes increasingly common?

Ageing Across The UK

There is so much in this exhibition that draws your attention. The Centre for Ageing Better shares fascinating research about ageing across the UK.

For example, the median age in England is 40. But that ranges from 31 in Manchester to 56 in North Norfolk.

There’s also a look at what’s happening in Bradford which has low life expectancy relative to other cities in the UK. It’s fascinating to see how populations vary in age and healthful ageing so dramatically, depending on where you are.

Perceptions About Youth And Age

Early on there’s a tableau depicting the fountain of youth. On the left, supposedly decrepit people approach the fountain, drink its waters and then emerge on the other side restored to youth, heading off into a life of sexual joy and debauchery.

It’s deeply telling about our long-standing obsession with reversing ageing. It can’t be considered a good thing even when one considers the alternative!

There’s a fascinating video of a bowl of fruit decaying by the artist Sam Taylor-Wood. The footage is sped up and you watch as the fruit eventually turns to dust, while a biro placed in front of it remains unchanged.

Next to this is a sculpture of a Zimmer frame. But it’s not strong and steady like a real one. It is spindly and fragile, echoing the supposed vulnerability of the person using it, rather than the object itself.

There are also sketches of so-called ‘super-agers’ from the past, people who were reported to have lived beyond 100 years. These include Thomas Parr, reputed to have lived to 152 in the 1800s, though that seems unlikely. Even if we can’t be certain of their actual ages, we can at least be sure that people have always lived into older age.

One thing that annoys me in the menopause debate is the claim that menopause didn’t exist in the past because people didn’t live long enough. This is simply not true.

There’s a big difference between lifespan and life expectancy. As I’ve written and spoken about elsewhere, many people died in childhood and women often died in childbirth. But if you survived those risks, you could live into older age.

So menopause is not some modern phenomenon. It has always been part of women’s lives. Women often lived long lives in history. There are still so many myths about menopause and ageing!

The Hydra

There’s an interesting section in the exhibition on the Hydra, a freshwater creature which does not appear to die of old age or even to age at all. It can regenerate when cut in half like the mythical many-headed beast.

There’s a film of this fascinating creature, an image of the various physical structures it can take and an imagination of what its birthday party might look like – when everything else has died off!

Birthday Card Ageism

One exhibit I was delighted to see was about birthday cards. I’m always ranting about how if you want to witness first hand the endemic ageism in our society, you just need to go to a card shop. Ageism is written into the vast majority of cards starting usually around 30 when the decline is supposed to set in. It was Ashton Applewhite, an early guest on my podcast, who first taught me that ageism begins between our ears.

This vibrant display was from a project done with school children working with older people to look at the cards available now and what could be reimagined to not be ageist. And of course, it’s important to remember that ageism doesn’t just work upwards. It also works downwards. If you’ve ever thought, that person’s too young to be/do/know that, then you’re being ageist towards those younger than you.

How Older Women Are Seen

The exhibition also looks particularly at how older women are portrayed in society, another of my passions. I believe ageism is far worse for women than for men. The global anti-ageing market is worth billions, mainly targetting women. All too often we’re described as hags, as crones, as old maids, as cat ladies. In this exhibit there’s an image of old maids with cats…

And then it completely flips that narrative. There are wonderful portraits of an older woman in Africa, dressed in glamorous clothes, sitting in front of a modest home. I have started following her account on Instagram: @legendary_glamma.

There’s a powerful photograph of three women, grandmother, mother and daughter, linked by a thread – the ties that bind across generations.

And then there are the @niceaunties of Singapore, presented in such a creative and joyful way that completely overturns the image of the frail older woman. In Chinese and other cultures, Auntie is a term of respect for any woman older than you. It’s a long time since I progressed from Miss (xiaojie) to Auntie (aiyi).

But even trying to be respectful with the term Auntie can get you into trouble as one person found at work recently. And older women who don’t have children or grandchildren understandably balk at older women so often being referred to universally as grandmas.

Terminology aside, these were some of my favourite images in the entire exhibition.

The Reality For Older Women

Towards the end, there’s a moving film featuring women from the north of England, including several powerful voices from ethnic minority communities.

They speak about the challenges of later life. Identities after retirement. Rising pension ages. The lack of adequate pension provision for women who have taken time out of the workforce to care for others. This is a massive issue. This is exactly why financial independence in midlife matters so much for women.

It’s also something I researched as part of my studies in gerontology. Poverty is far more likely to affect women in later life than men. The stories collected here are incredibly powerful.

Ageism, Data And Everyday Life

The exhibition ends with what feels like a shop of everyday objects from a bygone era, many tagged with statistics about ageing.

For example:

• 37% of people over 60 in England say they have experienced age discrimination
• There are 5.8 million unpaid carers in the UK, saving the economy £184 billion a year
• Older employees are the least likely to receive training in the workplace

And you can bet your bottom dollar that the majority of those carers mentioned are women, so many of whom get stuck in the sandwich generation or are forced to take time out from work.

It’s clear to me that ageism is endemic in the workplace. And if older employees are not even given access to training, how can we expect to stay current in such a fast-moving world?

Final Thoughts

I really salute the people who created this exhibition. It is thoughtful, challenging, moving and nicely provocative.

I urge you to go and see it. It’s brilliant. It left me thinking not just about how long we live, but how well we live and who gets left behind.

And don’t forget, it’s free!

Planning Your Visit

Keep it simple and useful:

• Location: Wellcome Collection
• Cost: Free
• Duration: Allow at least 2 hours
• Best for: Anyone interested in ageing, society, or midlife and beyond

Last Updated on August 4, 2026 by Editorial Staff