All We Can't See: Illustrating the Nauru Files

Overview

Little has changed since the 2016 leak of the Nauru Files, which detail 2116 incident reports of assault, sexual and child abuse, self-harm and horrible living conditions suffered by asylum seekers on Nauru, one of Australia's offshore refugee detention centres.

With the centre continuing to operate regardless, 33 award-winning artists have teamed up to create All We Can't See: Illustrating the Nauru Files, which will show at Yellow House gallery from Friday, February 2 through Saturday, February 10. The exhibition illustrates the suffering of detainees through creative expression, with each artist having chosen a specific Nauru file to interpret.

The exhibition's renowned Australian artists include painter Ben Quilty, 2017 Bvlgari Art Award recipient Tomislav Nikolic, Tim Maguire, Sulman Prize winner Aida Tomescu, and multi-discipline artist Belinda Fox.

Two free panel discussions will be held alongside the exhibition on February 3 and February 10. The first will be moderated by Elaine Pearson  from Human Rights Watch Australia and include discussions with Mohammad Ali Baqiri, an advocate, refugee and former detainee on Nauru. Award-winning journalist Paul Farrell — a lead member of The Guardian's reporting team on the Nauru Files — will also be in attendance, as will participating artist Angus McDonald.

With a complete lack of media access to the island, the artists hopes to raise greater awareness through their art in this sure to be powerful exhibition.

Image: Work by Pia Johnson.