Maija Tammi in the Coming of Age at the Wellcome Collection
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Finnish artist and researcher Maija Tammi's video work and photographs are featured at the Wellcome Collection in London this spring, as part of The Coming of Age group exhibition.
Tammi presents one video work and two prints in the exhibition. The Problem of the Hydra examines practical and metaphysical questions raised by the Hydra—a small freshwater invertebrate with remarkable regenerative abilities that appears not to age—from the 1700s to the present day. Immortal's Birthday depicts a birthday party for a non-ageing Hydra that has outlived all its friends, while Party Animal is a collage of decapitated Hydra heads, each of which grew a new body within a week. In the mid-1750s, hydra became a curiosity at European upper-class gatherings, kept as pets and displayed to guests as a living demonstration of regeneration.
The Coming of Age explores experiences and perceptions of ageing, from adolescence to later life, challenging assumptions about life stages and asking what greater longevity means for all of us. Bringing together more than 120 artworks and objects, including historical artefacts and works by contemporary artists such as John Coplans, Serena Korda, Suzanne Lacy, Anna Maria Maiolino, Rory Pilgrim and Paula Rego, the exhibition draws on perspectives from art, science and popular culture.
The Coming of Age runs from 26 March to 29 November 2026 at the Wellcome Collection, London.
Maija Tammi’s participation in the exhibition is supported by the Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland
People behind the project
Maija Tammi
Maija Tammi is a Finnish artist and Doctor of Arts, who is known for her radical storytelling through the medium of video, photography and installations. Tammi’s work has been exhibited internationally, among others in Paris, Berlin, Rome, London, New York, and Tokyo, and she has five published books.