While dreaming up imaginary friends may be seen by society as something strictly limited to early childhood, Renaldo Kuhler took the practice several steps further.

He created his own country.

The fictional country of Rocaterrania, located somewhere between the United States and Canada, is the product of Kuhler’s attempt to overcome traumas faced during his adolescence. There are literally thousands of drawings, notes and physical representations of the intricate world Kuhler has created in his mind for more than 60 years.

And starting tomorrow night, N.C. State’s Gregg Museum of Art & Design will put it on display to the public. Kuhler himself will be in attendance opening night, according to museum director Robert Manley.

According to Manley, by day Kuhler is a scientific illustrator for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. But whenever the 77-year-old man is not drawing painfully accurate pictures of insects, bugs and birds, Manley said Kuhler “in his spare time pulled out another drawer in his desk and continued to work on the drawings and notes depicting what life is like in Rocaterrania.”

But make no mistake. According to Kuhler, Rocaterrania is no paradise, but rather a better alternative suited specifically to his experiences.

“This is not a utopia, nor is it a fairyland,” Kuhler said. “I am Rocaterrania, and the struggles there represent what I have faced in my life.”

And upon a closer examination of the history of Rocaterrania and its customs, the similarities become clearer.

According to Manley, when Kuhler was 17 his father forced his family to relocate from New York to a remote ranch in Colorado, leaving Kuhler with little-to-no contact with anyone outside the ranch. In Kuhler’s imaginary country, his father is portrayed as not only the leader of the country, but its fierce dictator.

Otto Kuhler, Renaldo’s father, was a German immigrant who made his way by becoming an industrial designer, also relying on the bending of reality. Otto designed the concept of the streamlined train—transportation that looked like it could go hundreds of miles an hour, but could in reality not even exceed 30 miles per hour.

In the artwork portraying life in Rocaterrania, Renaldo rejected his father’s vision of the train, according to Manley.

“Instead of following his father’s visions, Rocaterrania’s trains were old and funky. Honestly, they were probably a reaction against his father to compensate for what his parents did to him,” Manley said. “Kuhler was used to having friends, but was then stuck right in the middle of nowhere by himself. He probably would have gone crazy, but instead fleshed up what he wished to be in an imaginary country, and has been working on it ever since.”

Manley said when Kuhler became particularly lonely, he began this fictional world by starting with its basic components—the people.

“The first thing Kuhler did when he was lonely was draw pictures of people he wished lived nearby,” Manley said. “And on the back of every picture was a short letter from the friend with sayings like ‘thanks for the memories’ and ‘I hope to see you soon.'”

However, Kuhler’s imagination didn’t stop there. Every single of his ‘friends’ came equipped with lengthy descriptions of their own backgrounds. Once their hobbies were established, industries were then created to suit them—an orchestra and opera house for a violinist as an example—and from there eventually an entire country was formed, with an extensive history.

“He really got carried away and couldn’t stop doing this. A lot of people go through a phase when they might have an imaginary friend—but most don’t last 60 years and counting,” Manley said. “I’m just really amazed at the sheer completeness of the world he has created.”

Among the many aspects of Rocaterrania Kuhler created are its own monetary system, religion—said to be a mixture of Christianity, Judaism and Islam—postage stamps, alphabet, lighting, sewage and recycling system.  

According to Manley, Kuhler hesitated to share his creation with anyone, fearing they would see him as insane. Brett Ingram, a friend of Manley’s, discovered Kuhler’s passion and eventually convinced him to share his secret with the public.

“He’s not crazy. He’s totally aware this is all a fantasy,” Manley said. “But if you can make your world whatever you want, why not make a place you can be more comfortable in?”