London, July 2026
In July 2026, on my way to Wales, I visited the Wellcome Collection in London to see the exhibition The Coming of Age.
I find it fascinating how the study of art can validate and strengthen my own practice. Lately, I have been creating paper cut-out designs that often begin with traditional scenes in which people are seated in realistic, composed settings, before gradually developing into the realms of fantasy, dreams, and surrealism.
Seeing this exhibition, in particular, gave me the confidence to continue experimenting and exploring this direction in my work.
The dream of preserving youth and extending life has captivated people for centuries. This 1536 woodcut depicts elderly figures journeying towards the legendary Fountain of Youth. Immersing themselves in its magical waters restores their youth, allowing them to cast their crutches and walking sticks onto a bonfire, symbolically leaving old age behind.
Rejuvenated, they embrace the pleasures of life, celebrating renewed vitality, sensuality, and intimacy in a bathhouse.
Throughout history, people have travelled to springs and wells believed to possess healing powers. One such site is a well in Florida, USA, associated with the legend that the 16th-century Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León searched there for the elusive Fountain of Youth.
Immortal’s Birthday, 2020
Maija Tammi
What does a birthday mean if you never age? Tammi imagines a
lonely birthday party for a hydra. The immortal creature has outlived
all its companions. It rests in a petri dish in an abandoned laboratory,
surrounded by taxidermied species known for their longevity. The
tortoise, pictured wearing a party hat, may live up to 150 years.
The hydra’s true age is unknowable, as it does not age. As Tammi’s
accompanying film asks: “What do they put on the cake?”
