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About the artwork
Listen to the artist statement for 70s Beach
70’s Beach revisits the vibrant spirit of the 1970s—often called the “Me Decade”—a period marked by bold self-expression, cultural change, and an unfiltered embrace of individuality. The beach, an iconic cornerstone of Australian life and a defining part of my own childhood, stands at the heart of this work.
As my physical functioning diminished through my teenage and early adult years, this once-familiar cultural space slowly became a place of exclusion. What was effortless and joyous in childhood grew distant, echoing the shifting boundaries of my lived experience.
In this loose watercolour painting, I explore the simplicity, playfulness, and carefree nature of 70s beach culture. The fluidity of the medium allows me to reconnect with memories of sunlit freedom—to reclaim, through practice and imagination, a space that shaped me. Watercolour becomes both a bridge to the past and a means of experiencing that sense of ease again, if only through pigment, gesture, and memory.
About the artist - Victoria Wardlaw
I’m a professional woman living with a degenerative neuromuscular condition. I am an amateur artist exploring watercolour which allows me to play within the range of physical limitation.