Southbank showcases art made by people in the UK criminal justice system

An art exhibition showcasing work made by people in the UK criminal justice system will open at the Southbank Centre next week.

The I and the We will take place from October 29 to December 5 and show more than 200 pieces of artwork entered into the 2021 Koestler Awards.

The charity, Koestler Arts, aims to help prisoners, secure patients and detainees lead more positive lives by supporting them to participate and achieve in the arts.

The pieces are in a variety of mediums across craft, fine art, music, animation and writing.

The exhibition will be presented to the public by ex-prisoner exhibition hosts who have received specialist training to lead tours, answer questions and share their first-hand experience of the importance of art and creativity for those within the criminal justice system.

The exhibited artwork shows the perseverance many within the criminal justice system have maintained during the challenges imposed by the Covid pandemic, and with limited equipment and space to create.

The unique pieces include sculptures carved from prison-issue soap, a dinosaur constructed from scrap paper, a tram and boat painstakingly produced from matchsticks, a painted collage composed of grains of rice and a portrait painted with coffee.

An artist who previously exhibited at the annual exhibition said: “In an environment which alternates between clinical brightness and a dreadful darkness, Koestler brings permission for colour, texture and light.

“Every prisoner should be given a brush and told to make a mark – perhaps then less would return.”

This year’s exhibition will be curated by French-born, London-based artist Camille Walala and her sister, curator Sarah Ihler-Meyer.
Together they selected the pieces to display from more than 6,400 entries.

Ms Walala said: “I was so grateful to see the amazing pieces from these artists. I found them all quite emotional and inspiring. All the ones we selected give us a strong feeling – these artworks will make you laugh, cry and smile, sometimes all at once.”

The show will also include writing from the third volume of Koestler Voices, a poetry anthology published by Koestler Arts.

The book showcases insightful poetry written by those in criminal justice settings during the difficult past two years we have just faced, and features a foreword by poet Jackie Kay.

Website: Koestler Arts: The I and the We (southbankcentre.co.uk)