Eze Raymond (born in 1936) sits for a portrait. Tel Aviv, Israel.
Eze was born in Mumbai, lived most of his life in London, and today he lives in Tel Aviv, close to the proud center, where he takes part in weekly meetings and social activities. For many LGBTQ+ elders, these accustomed community-based social activities can reduce the sense of isolation and loneliness and enable community members to pay attention to the well-being of each other.
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TRANSPARENT CURTAINS
AGING THROUGH THE EYES OF GAY ELDERS
Research has shown that elders in the LGBTQ+ community are often more likely to experience loneliness, exclusion, and fear of turning to health and welfare services.
The men pictured in this series are all over seventy and identify as gay.
They agreed to share their stories with me, and over many hours, we talked about aging and dreams, love, exclusion, and fears, and out of these conversations, this series was formed.
Created collaboratively in a makeshift studio I have built in the subjects’ home, with each portrait, we tried to visually represent a thought, a story, a piece of an inner world. A world often kept behind transparent curtains from the fear of being hurt.
We used photography to explore the gap between the constructed and the unexpected, what we think and what we feel, between what we hide and what is safe to reveal.
#TransparentCurtains, #age, #lgbtq #lgbt #pride #artists4longtermcare #theagingproject #lensculture #seniorcitizen #PostThePeople #fisheyelemag #pursuitofportraits #imaginarymagnitude #lekkerzine #broadmagazine
Mordechai Zilberman (born in 1934) sits for a portrait dressed in the clothes of his recently deceased partner Aryeh. On the left side of the frame is the hand of Mordechai’s caretaker, Rajoo. Jerusalem. Israel.
Mordechai and Aryeh lived together as a couple for exactly sixty years.
When Aryeh’s health deteriorated and he was hospitalized, they were terrified that they would not be safe at the hospital because they were in a same-sex relationship. On Aryeh’s eighty-eight birthday, exhausted by anxiety and pain, they decided not to return to the hospital again. Mordechai told Aryeh that he could rest, and on that night, Aryeh passed away at their mutual home.
Mordechai is often wearing Aryeh’s clothes to feel closer to him ——TRANSPARENT CURTAINS
AGING THROUGH THE EYES OF GAY ELDERS
Research has shown that elders in the LGBTQ+ community are often more likely to experience loneliness, exclusion, and fear of turning to health and welfare services.
The men pictured in this series are all over seventy and identify as gay.
They agreed to share their stories with me, and over many hours, we talked about aging and dreams, love, exclusion, and fears, and out of these conversations, this series was formed.
Created collaboratively in a makeshift studio I have built in the subjects’ home, with each portrait, we tried to visually represent a thought, a story, a piece of an inner world. A world often kept behind transparent curtains from the fear of being hurt.
We used photography to explore the gap between the constructed and the unexpected, what we think and what we feel, between what we hide and what is safe to reveal.
Even in his eighth decade, Michael (his name was changed), who is married with children, is still closeted. Coming from a religious family and community, and fearing exclusion, he shared his secret only with a very few.
On living in the closet, he said, “It’s like you’re killing a part of yourself. A part of yourself is not alive”.
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#TransparentCurtains, #age, #lgbtq #lgbt #pride #artists4longtermcare #theagingproject #lensculture #seniorcitizen #PostThePeople #fisheyelemag #pursuitofportraits #imaginarymagnitude #lekkerzine #broadmag #tootiredproject
I always dream into the past
to childhood, to my parents’ home,
to people I knew.
Not forward.
Never into old age.
Why is that?
Cienfuegos | Cuba | #AgingPortraits
After losing his partner of 60 years, Mordechai moved into a care home and hid his sexuality out of fear of rejection.
Oded Wagenstein’s work sheds light on the isolation often faced by LGBTQ+ elders when seeking care and community.
#WPP25 #PhotographyPrize @oded_wagen
Oded Wagenstein / Wellcome Photography Prize 2025
SILENT FAREWELLS | SUICIDE AMONG THE ELDERLY
Full series in bio
Michal and Yosef Shatsky, both 88, in their home at Kibbutz Magen, Israel.
Following her parents’ joint suicide in old age, Michal wishes to end her life in Switzerland to avoid the deterioration that comes with aging. Yosef supports her decision, though he struggles with the prospect of being left alone.
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In many countries, the elderly are the most affected age group by suicide, yet they are often excluded from public discussions on mental health and suicide prevention. For the families and loved ones left behind, each suicide leaves a scar, broken hearts, and unanswered questions.
This project is a collaboration with family members of older adults who chose to end their lives. Together, we created images that reflect intimate moments of loss, portraying participants alongside meaningful objects and in locations connected to their loved ones.
With this project, we aim to break the silence and stigma surrounding the issue and ignite an essential conversation about our broader societal responsibility toward the elderly.
SILENT FAREWELLS | SUICIDE AMONG THE ELDERLY
Full series in bio
Image:
Mordechai Zilberman, dressed in the jacket of his deceased partner and Holocaust survivor Aryeh, sits for a portrait.
Jerusalem, Israel.
Mordechai and Aryeh, a same-sex couple for sixty years, navigated life's complexities together, deeply affected by Aryeh's traumatic Holocaust memories. In his later years, Aryeh struggled with dementia, blurring lines between past and present, fear and reality. Their life, punctuated by hospital visits, grew increasingly fraught with anxiety. On Aryeh's eighty-eighth birthday, returning from the hospital, his health deteriorated once more. Facing the heartbreaking decision that his partner had "suffered enough," Mordechai refrained from seeking help. Mordechai told Aryeh that he "could rest," and on that night, Aryeh passed away at their shared home.
Mordechai often wears Aryeh's clothes to feel closer to him.
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In many countries, the elderly are the most affected age group by suicide, yet they are often excluded from public discussions on mental health and suicide prevention. For the families and loved ones left behind, each suicide leaves a scar, broken hearts, and unanswered questions.
This project is a collaboration with family members of older adults who chose to end their lives. Together, we created images that reflect intimate moments of loss, portraying participants alongside meaningful objects and in locations connected to their loved ones.
With this project, we aim to break the silence and stigma surrounding the issue and ignite an essential conversation about our broader societal responsibility toward the elderly.
**New Project**
Silent Farewells | Suicide Among the Elderly
Image:
An organized setting of the covered car of Moshe Etzion, who took his own life at the age of 88. March 2023, Kfar Monash, Israel.
The photographer covered the car to symbolize Jewish shrouds, the traditional burial cloth in which a body is wrapped before burial.
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In many countries, the elderly are the most affected age group by suicide, yet they are often excluded from public discussions on mental health and suicide prevention. For the families and loved ones left behind, each suicide leaves a scar, broken hearts, and unanswered questions.
This project is a collaboration with family members of older adults who chose to end their lives. Together, we created images that reflect intimate moments of loss, portraying participants alongside meaningful objects and in locations connected to their loved ones.
With this project, we aim to break the silence and stigma surrounding the issue and ignite an essential conversation about our broader societal responsibility toward the elderly.
Even in his eighth decade, Michael, who is married with children, is still closeted. Coming from a religious family and community and fearing exclusion, he shared his secret only with a very few. On living in the closet, he said, “It’s like you’re killing a part of yourself. A part of yourself is not alive.
From my project Transparent Curtains about gay elders.
