Sexuality and eroticism can last until very old age but are seldom openly shown or talked about in the media. But this life-affirming issue should be included more strongly in the consciousness of society and the social discourse about old age. Because endless variations of love, desire and eroticism build a universal value that is lived by humankind all over the world at all ages. Irene, 80, and Günter, 79, are a catholic couple married for more than 60 years. They are both art enthusiasts and painters who have a very loving connection to their own bodies and each other.
Mirja Maria Thiel, born in Hamburg in 1971, is a journalistic documentary photographer with a background in literature (1999, Master of Arts). From 2014 until 2019 she studied "Photojournalism and Documentary Photography" in Hanover. Mirja’s documentary narratives develope around memory and identity while exploring different aspects and personal stories of Alzheimer’s disease, one of the great health challenges, and underrepresented issues of high age like the life-affirming power of sexuality and eroticism. She lives with her husband and their three children close to Bremen, Germany.
