GREY IS THE NEW PINK

Who is old—where and when? Can we meet the “challenge of ageing” optimistically? And what potential lies slumbering in the process of ageing?

Projections for global demographic trends are forecasting an increase in the world’s older population. The process of growing older is not just important for each individual, but has implications for the social and cultural spheres. Yet each generation ages differently. And when can we actually talk of someone as “old” at all? Even if the visible biological ageing processes are the same the world over, each culture has its differences in defining “age.” There is no universally valid definition of when “old age” starts. So who is old—where and when?

GREY IS THE NEW PINK presents diverse ideas and models of “age(ing)” from the perspective of the visual arts and cultural studies, as well as personal and individual experience. Like fragments in a lifetime’s memories, the exhibition combines into an anthology of ageing the individual ways of dealing with such topics as lifestyle, love and sexuality, transmission of knowledge, longevity, illness, health, and death and shows possibilities for how to deal with the phase of life called “old age” in future.

In the exhibition “age(ing)” is explored internationally in photographs, videos, literature, drawings, as well as large-scale and multimedia installations and performances both in the work of scientists, artists and poets, as well as younger and older people from the general population. Numerous exhibits from the Weltkulturen Museum’s Africa, Americas, South East Asia, Oceania, Visual Anthropology collections and the library broaden the view of the subject. With game consoles visitors can improve their brain functionality and get refreshed at the “Weltkulturen Water Bar”.

Participating artists: Ishola Akpo (*1983 Cote d’Ivoir/Benin), Ramy Al-Asheq (*1989 Palestine/Syria/Germany), Femi Amogunla (*1984 Nigeria), Naama Attias (*1989 Israel), Meret Buser (*1990 Switzerland), Jess T. Dugan (*1986 US) and Vanessa Fabbre (*1978 US), André Günther/Albino (*1987 Germany), Hartmut Jahn (*1955 Germany), Günther Krabbenhöft (*1945 Germany) and Britt Kanja (*1951 Germany), Lars Krutak (*1971 US), Osborne Macharia (*1986 Kenya), Ninette Niemeyer (*1961 Germany), Raymond Sagapolutele (*1971 Wales/New Zealand), Patricia Thoma (*1977 Germany), Karsten Thormaehlen (*1965 Germany) and Jake Verzosa (*1979 Philippines) as well as participants in the open global “Call for Content”, students and elderly participants of the “textgestALTER” project as well as Jakob Gross, Roberta Mandoki and Annika Mayer from the project “Elderscapes”.

The exhibition GREY IS THE NEW PINK - Moments of Ageing is supported by the the Polytechnic Foundation of Frankfurt am Main, Nintendo, RhönSprudel, Deutsche Akademie für Kinder- und Jugendliteratur e.V.; Media partners: Frankfurter Rundschau and Journal Frankfurt

The accompanying catalogue includes contributions by Ramy Al Asheq, Stephanie Endter in conversation with Claudia Gaida and Silke Wagner, Julia Friedel in conversation with Ishola Akpo, Jaco Hoffman, Verena Keck, Helena Kiess in conversation with Günther Krabbenhöft and Britt Kanja, Lars Krutak, Ursula Lehr, Renate Lindner and Maria Reith-Deigert in conversation with Christina Niem, Alice Pawlik, Eva Ch. Raabe, Danilo Santos de Miranda and Christina Riscalla Madi, Eunike Sri Tyas Suci, Hilke Steinecke, Mona Suhrbier, participants of the “textgestALTER” Workshops as well as numerous illustrations. It is published in German and English by Kerber Verlag.

On December 5 and 19 at 6pm the Weltkulturen Museum offers Curators’ guided tours: “The Whys and Wherefores. How the exhibition came about” with Alice Pawlik.

On December 15-16 at 12am the Weltkulturen Museum presents the Artists’ workshop: “Read our book to me! Children and grandparents design a picture book together” with Patricia Thoma (participating artist of the exhibition, Berlin).

Please see our website for details on upcoming events.

Acting Director: Dr. Eva Ch. Raabe
Curator: Alice Pawlik (Curator Visual Anthropology)
Press contact: weltkulturen.presse [​at​] stadt-frankfurt.de or T +49 (0)69 212 45115
Press material: www.weltkulturenmuseum.de/en (texts, images, and films for download under PRESS)