How local artist Eryn Marshall is reframing women in midlife

Posted on 28 July, 2026

With her second exhibition, Young at Heart, Canberra artist Eryn Marshall is bringing to light important conversations about female identity.

The exhibition also marks a milestone collaboration for the 27-year-old – it’s the first time she’s worked with her mum.

Showing at The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre (The Q) from Wednesday 5 until Sunday 9 August, Young at Heart is all about the art of loving your greys and everything they carry.

Presented alongside and inspired by Liz Lea’s show Diamond, the body of work created by Eryn and Cheryl Marshall explores the realities of midlife for women.

“Diamond is a one-woman cabaret about mid-life, so it only made sense that I did something around that topic. It just so happens that my mum has rediscovered her creative spark recently. I wanted to do something that could celebrate her as well,” explains Eryn.

“We spent four days in my studio just planning with different paints, playing with different methods and different tools.”

Cheryl Marshall.

Beginning the project in January of this year, Eryn surveyed local women about their journey in midlife.

Recognising that her mother’s experience is unique – and something Eryn has yet to go through herself – the survey responses shaped four core themes: body neutrality, hormones, the search for sturdiness, and a reflection of identity.

“It was very important to me to get understandings and insights from women who weren’t just my mum. Her experience is completely isolated to her but to be able to speak to mid-life, I need to understand is holistically,” she explains.

“Mum and I have created a response to each of those themes.”

Totalling over 20 pieces, Young at Heart is presented in partnership with national eating disorder charity the Butterfly Foundation.

Like her with first collection, Envy, Upcycled – a meditation on the stories we attach to beauty, worth, and value – Young at Heart will be raising funds for the Butterfly Foundation.

While Envy, Upcycled proved Eryn could spark difficult conversations around stigma, Young at Heart goes even deeper by presenting an alternative to our preconceived notions around midlife. It’s a love letter to middle-aged women and their unique stories – something that society often ignores.

“The thing that I always want to achieve through any exhibition and my main mission for my business is to raise awareness around eating disorders,” says Eryn.

“The stigma here is that only young people experience eating disorders, which isn’t the case…The demographic isn’t spoken about and it’s something that we want to shed some light on.”

“I hope people take away that it [eating disorders] can be anywhere and to have an open mind.”

Launching on Wednesday 5 August with a ticketed opening night from 6 pm, the evening will also feature a live in-room auction, with 10 per cent of ticket sales and five per cent of artwork proceeds donated to the Butterfly Foundation. There will also be a raffle with 100 per cent of ticket sales going to the organisation.

“Last year we raised $1,664. I want to do so much more than that this year,” says Eryn.

Eryn Marshall.

Working with her mother to bring Young at Heart to life, she says that she’s learnt a lot about the experience of being a woman navigating mid-life. Noting that she feels incredibly honoured and lucky to hear these stories, the project proves that growing older and staying young at heart were never incompatible.

Young at Heart has also solidified one future goal for Eryn: to be a mum.

“I think that’s why this exhibition means so much, especially coming from my eating disorder background. Before this exhibition I was really stressed about triggers re-emerging and going through a similar thing again during and after pregnancy, especially with body image and things changing,” she says.

“Through this exhibition, I’ve spoke to young mums who have said that they love their body even more now they’ve had a child…it’s that talk around loving your body for what it does versus how it looks. I’m excited to become a mum.”

Buy two tickets using the code PLUSMUM and get the second ticket 50 per cent off. Take your mum, daughter, sister, or another important woman in your life and experience the exhibition together.

Images supplied.