Barbed wire maze art installation explores the plight of refugees

Two Canberra artists have created a giant maze made of barbed wires and mirrors to simulate the plight of refugees and explore the idea of displacement.

Denise Higgins and Gary Smith’s The Barbed Maze focusses on the issues of “confinement, interrogation and surveillance”, according to the Canberra Contemporary Art Space.

Audiences are “herded and displaced” by the installation, which features chambers made of barbed wire panels and mirrors.

“In the chambers scattered throughout the maze, audiences are confronted with glimpses of confinement, surveillance and interrogation throough the used of sound, video, tableaux and objects”, the artwork catalogue states.

“Which path will you take? Who can you turn to? Is there any chance of refuge?”

The installation will be exhibited at Canberra’s Gorman Arts Centre until November 21.