Photo exhibition captures modern senior life in China

A photography exhibition titled "Life Takes Place," dedicated to the lives of modern-day senior citizens, is currently on view at the Taikang Art Museum in Beijing's Central Business District.

What makes the exhibition moving is precisely that it does not portray the elderly as passive subjects of observation. Through the photographers' lenses, residents of senior communities in several Chinese cities are shown staying connected, and participating in communal life – some deciding where to eat that day, others deciding whether to sign up for a violin class, and some deciding whether to join young people in live acting role playing games such as Murder Mystery Game.

According to the curator Shen Chen, photographers from China and further afield, including Spain and the United States, were invited in order to present real senior citizens' daily life from as many different perspectives as possible.  

Twelve artists, half of them from other countries, moved to live within senior communities in designated cities in China, including Hangzhou, Shanghai and Chengdu. They spent time with residents and caregivers, developing their work within the settings of everyday life. No two communities are alike – their locations, architecture, residents, and daily routines offered different angles, and photography became a way of understanding their worlds.

The exhibition runs through November 30.