The Non-Age

June 7 - July 25 2009

Curated by Madrid-based curator Paco Barragan, the show questions relational, historical and sociological ideas and preconceptions concerned with ageing and old age. The artists showcased in the exhibition reflect on the quest for a new way of understanding and experimenting with the fascinating process of ageing, as well as emotions like loneliness, anxiety and the fear of ageing and death that inevitably go with it. Being old is nowadays about keeping in shape, eating healthily, going to the gym or remodelling the body with plastic surgery. Both women and men want to feel young and seductive, to be like everyone else and have an active sexual life, but not necessarily within a traditional relationship. This attitude questions our preconceived notions of sexuality, ageing, and representations of the body: men date older women, women get into partnerships with other women; there are share-a-man relationships because there aren't enough older men for older women as they continue to outlive them; and relationships do not necessarily include emotional attachment any longer. But even so, retired people still automatically become members of the passive class; they are often seen as a burden on a society which denies their rights as citizens, eschewing an active participation in political life and denying meaningful and satisfying experiences after retirement. It is this lack of social bonds and the missing ability to influence society that turns consumerism into a desirable substitute as well as an everyday therapy bringing instant results.

Paco Barragan