Sydney-based figurative artist Lachie Hinton's visual exploration of political tensions between national borders and the personal tension of life in detention has arrived in Moruya.
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His exhibition "LIMBOLAND" was launched at the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre (The Bas) on Friday, June 14.
Creative Arts Officer Liz McCrystal said the exhibition was an investigative and artistic approach to Mr Hinton's travel to Nauru and the 2016 European refugee crisis.
He "swindled" his way into Nauru as a diving enthusiast with photojournalist Mridula Amin, and documented the lives of people indefinitely detained for over five years.
Ms McCrystal said he writes, photographs and sketches on location.
"He's really interested in the human condition," she said.
"He's interested in the contemporary issues that are facing our society.
"And then he's really interested in the periphery - looking at refugees. He's looked at everyday life in North Korea and he's spent time pulling apart Sydney nightlife through brothels."
She said his works were impressively mature for a man in his twenties.
"He has an idea and just researches," she said.
"I think he wants first-hand accounts. He's going there first-hand without any agenda, saying 'this is what I saw, these are the people I spoke to, this is what they're saying to me' and he creatively interprets that."
Ms McCrystal wanted to use Mr Hinton's work as a springboard for conversation.
"It's sometimes confrontational and people don't always know what to say or what to think, but I guess it's just viewing, looking and a shifting of perspective," she said.
"That's what we're interested in ... it's more about using art as a tool for liberation, as a kind of bridge.
"This is the first time that the works have come together in any exhibition. He showed the refugee trail the 2016 work in a Sydney gallery and he's done a one-off event for his work from Nauru, so wanted to bring them together here and on the eve of Refugee Week."
Eurobodalla Council's arts coordinator Indi Carmichael said the exhibition was a powerful show.
"This exhibition isn't just for the arty types. It's for anyone who wonders what it is to be human when forces outside of your control overtake your life," she said.
Mr Linton and Ms Amin's 2018 documentary "LIMBOLAND" was screened as part of the exhibition launch and will be played at the The Bas throughout the exhibition's duration.
The exhibition runs until Sunday, July 7. The Bas is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-4pm.
