IN CASE OF EMERGENCY returns to The Southbank Centre until December 17

Nearly 200 artworks from people living in prisons, secure mental health facilities, immigration removal centres and young offender institutions are coming together for an exhibition.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY returns to The Southbank Centre, in Belvedere Road, South Bank, until December 17, hosting works created across the UK since 1962.

The annual show – now in its 16th year – features artworks across visual, writing and music categories entered into the 2023 Koestler Awards.

The exhibition attempts to debunk stereotypes and demonstrate the human value and potential of people in the criminal justice system.
Poet and artist Joelle Taylor has created the show, having worked in prisons for more than 20 years.

Choosing from 8,000 pieces sent into this year’s awards, Ms Taylor has focused on a theme of encasement for the show.

The title, IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, encourages visitors to complete the well-known phrase with ‘break glass.

She said: “When I see these cases, it makes me think of what happens when we break the glass, what happens when ideas escape.”

As a poet, Ms Taylor was also keen to celebrate the written word. Poems are printed on materials associated with prison – a single bed sheet, a grey jumper, food trays – while spoken word is played through phones to mimic moments of interaction experienced by artists living inside institutions.

Visitors will also have a chance to buy some of the artworks on display, which are for sale and available to purchase through the Koestler Arts website: www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/art-exhibitions/koestler-arts-case-emergency

Picture: 23K4080 Woman, Portrait, 2023 Picture: HM Young Offender Institution Cookham Wood