As part of the persecuted Hazara community, Khadim Ali’s family fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan during Taliban rule (1996–2001). He studied miniature painting in Lahore before migrating to Australia in 2010. Themes of war and otherness have been central to his work. 'The Arrivals' series addresses the plight and perception of people seeking asylum, with refugees stripped of individuality and overlaid with a threatening appearance. The Arrivals 3 references a meeting of transient refugee communities, while The Arrivals 12 depicts a shipwreck that brings to mind the 2010 Christmas Island boat disaster, wherein 50 people seeking asylum in Australia lost their lives at sea.