Wegner’s series of Centenarians began in 2013 when he made a drawing of his Aunty Rita, who had reached the age of 104. It occurred to Wegner that there must be other Centenarians who were still living lives with mobility, curiosity and purpose. The nucleus of the series began to form.

Since 2013 Wegner has made over 100 drawings of Centenarians within Victoria and New South Wales, about half of whom are living in their own homes with outside support, the other half living in low-care residential accommodation. Each drawing was completed from life in an afternoon or morning with little alteration to that first impression, as moments captured with a time allowed.

The exploration of aging and how well we age is central to this project. Maintaining human dignity and independent living are important issues as we age, alongside the question of what it means to have a meaningful life. Good fortune in life was acknowledged by nearly all of Wegner’s sitters. In Australia, there are 5,000 Centenarians and currently, 0.07% of our population will reach this age. This translates to one person in every 6,000, of whom 80% are women. Very few will reach the Super Centenarian Club (110 and over). Two people in one million are the current odds.

For his exhibition Centenarians at Gippsland Art Gallery, Wegner presents 100 portraits of people aged 100 or over. Included within each drawing are footnotes that may offer small glimpses into the lives of these Centenarians—which by no means bestow the answer to longevity—as individual as each Centenarian is, and so to are the reasons for their survival.

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