Humane Genetica : The Hallmarks of Ageing

Photographer Ilya van Marle unveils Humane Genetica: The Hallmarks of Ageing, a portrait series that frames later life as dignified, honest, and close. The work lingers on silver hair, softened eyes, and folded skin. Not as decline, but as quiet evidence of a life fully lived.

“Every wrinkle carries an echo of laughter or worry, every line a small archive of life lived,” says Van Marle. Shot without retouching or artifice, the series invites viewers into an intimate, face-to-face encounter with humane ageing.

Humane Genetica: The Hallmarks of Ageing will be presented through exhibitions, institutional commissions (in healthcare and eldercare), and private family portrait series, alongside a forthcoming book project. The aim: to shift perception from loss to legacy, and to restore visibility and respect to ageing.

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An elderly woman with gray hair and glasses, smiling, wearing a peach-colored shirt and a dark vest.
An elderly woman with white curly hair and glasses, wearing a dark patterned top, looking to her left against a reddish-brown background.
An elderly woman with white hair and glasses, wearing a patterned sweater and a leopard print shirt, looking slightly to the side against a brown background.
Close-up of an elderly woman with gray hair, wearing glasses, and a multicolored striped shirt, looking to the side against a warm brown background.
Portrait of an elderly man with a serious expression, wearing a white vest with black stripes over a striped shirt, against a warm reddish background.
Profile of an elderly Asian man with gray hair and mustache, wearing a brown fleece jacket, against a dark red background.
Close-up of an elderly man with gray hair, wearing a white and brown striped button-up shirt, against a brown background.
An elderly woman with gray hair styled in soft curls, smiling and wearing glasses. She has on a red patterned blazer with purple, beige, and gray shapes, a white top underneath, a silver necklace with a floral pendant, and earrings. The background is
Portrait of an elderly woman with white hair, wearing a floral blouse and a gray vest, smiling slightly against a dark red background.
Portrait of an elderly woman with gray hair, wearing a light green cardigan over a white collared shirt, accessorized with a colorful beaded necklace, against a warm reddish-brown background.
Close-up of an older man with gray hair, glasses, wearing a striped shirt, looking serious against a brown background.
A portrait of an elderly woman with gray hair, wearing glasses, a purple and gray striped top, and a gold necklace with a blue pendant, against a brown background.