About this Event
Join curator Shamita Sharmacharja and artists Serena Korda and Ian Beesley for a panel discussion exploring the stories behind works in our new exhibition, ‘The Coming of Age’.
Together, they’ll discuss how their work engages with experiences of health, people and place, and how societies can adapt to support us all as we grow older.
Serena will reflect on how her practice challenges stereotypes around ageing and addresses the cultural erasure of older women, while Ian will consider the roles of genetics, environment and lifestyle in shaping how we live and age.
The discussion will be followed by a Q&A, where you’ll have a chance to ask questions. The exhibition will be open from 18:00 to 19:00 for you to visit before the event begins. The discussion will then run from 19:00 to 20:30.
Need to know
LocationWe’ll be in the Forum. To get there, take the lift or stairs up to level 1 and then follow the signs through the ‘Being Human’ gallery.
Place not guaranteedBooking a ticket for a free, in-person event does not guarantee you a place. You should aim to arrive 15 minutes before the event is scheduled to start to claim your place. If you do not arrive on time, your place may be given to someone on the waiting list.
Waiting listIf this event is fully booked, you may still be able to attend. We will operate a waiting list, which opens 30 minutes before this event starts. Arrive early, and we’ll give you a numbered ticket. If there are any unfilled places just before the start time, we will invite you to enter in order of ticket number.
British Sign Language interpretedThis event will have British Sign Language interpretation.
Hearing loopThere will be a hearing loop at this event.
Speech-to-textThis event will be live-transcribed. The captions will be displayed on a screen in-venue.
Wheelchair accessibleThis event is wheelchair accessible, which means people in wheelchairs can access the location with relative ease.For more information, please visit our Accessibility page. If you have any queries about accessibility, please email us at [email protected] or call 020 7611 2222.Our event terms and conditions
About your contributors
Shamita Sharmacharja
Shamita is a curator at Wellcome Collection. In addition to ‘The Coming of Age’, she has curated exhibitions such as ‘Jason and the Adventure of 254’ (2024), ‘Genetic Automata’ (2023), ‘Play Well’ (2019) and ‘Can Graphic Design Save Your Life?’ (2017). Before Wellcome Collection, Shamita worked as a curator at the Whitechapel Gallery and assistant curator at Tate Modern.
Serena Korda
Serena is an artist whose multimedia, installation-based practice reimagines historic narratives through a feminist lens and draws inspiration from myths, folklore, witchcraft and magic. She received the Paul Hamlyn Award for Artists in 2021 and was the Norma Lipan/BALTIC Fellow in Ceramic Sculpture at Newcastle University from 2016 to 2018. Her work has been shown at the Hayward Gallery, Camden Art Centre, Glasgow International, Wellcome Collection and Turner Contemporary, and is held in major public collections including the Arts Council Collection and Tullie Museum and Art Gallery.
Ian Beesley
Ian is a British social documentary photographer whose work has focused on Northern England, particularly Bradford, since the late 1970s. He was Course Leader for the MA Photography programme at the University of Bolton, and his work is held in the collections of the Science Museum Group and the Smithsonian Institution.
Image credit: Artists Ian Beesley and Serena Korda, Photos: Laura Mate and Jesse Wild
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
