Local artist Jacques Charoux has come a long way from his first job as a cartoonist and photographer at a small newspaper.

His latest exhibition, Jacques Charoux: Over Half a Century, which opened on Friday at Wollongong City Art Gallery, is a testimony to just how far he's come.

The retrospective exhibition consists of almost 90 artworks, in mediums ranging from painting, printmaking, photography to sculpture.

"It's almost 60 years of work there. Seeing them all together in a big space - you realise not only the amount of work, but also the processes you went through at different stages," Charoux said.

"All the time that I've spent working on these - I look around and I think, 'yes - that's how I've spent my time'. My time, and my life. It's as if I was doing them yesterday in lots of ways. It's strange," he said.

Charoux has spent the past 27 years in the Illawarra as a practising artist and TAFE teacher. In these roles he has influenced, inspired and supported many artists and students in the region.

His works range from his 1960s experiments with kinetic sculpture, to his latest collection focusing on the rare coco de mer (sea coconut), found only in a group of islands to the north of his childhood home, Mauritius.

For Charoux, the idea is everything. Every detail in his work is deeply considered and rich with meaning, frequently incorporating layers of symbolism and suggestion. He speaks to his artworks as if decoding ancient texts; reliving the journey of their creation.

This latest show, which takes up the entire second level of the gallery, traces the evolution of the artist's work from the 1960s to the present and is open until June 21.

Ronald Mathers will present Jacques Charoux in Context at the gallery on April 30. There will also be an artist talk on May 6.

The retrospective exhibition was officially opened on April 17 by Glenn Barkley.