In Case of Emergency
Everyone has a talent, and anyone can be an artist. Sometimes it’s obvious and those talents are nurtured from a very young age. Other times it’s a latent ability that can’t shine until you have nothing but time to find it. It helps if you have some support.
For 60 years, the Koestler Arts charity has been encouraging people in the criminal justice system to change their lives by participating in the arts. Through a wide range of offerings they engage with individuals in prisons, secure mental health facilities, immigration removal centres, young offender institutions and on community sentences across the UK. This year, their sixteenth annual London exhibition showcases 185 works out of 8,000 that were submitted. Curated by award-winning poet Joelle Taylor, the show is structured around the concept of encasement to explore themes of separation and connection.
The first work I encountered was an audio recording of a poem. Listening to the author’s voice recite his own words “I am a commodity. …. Why are you paying for something that doesn’t even exist, just like me… because behind the facade I have been buried alive” is a rough listen. A stark reminder of the depression and despair that I imagine would be pervasive emotions when imprisoned. There are other hard to ignore reminders of incarceration throughout the show, both visually and through titles like ‘Feel my pain’, ‘Chained’ or ‘These times ain’t fair’. But it’s not all negative.
Hope and optimism far outweighs the doom and gloom. You’ll read it in the titles — like ‘Break the chain’, ‘Seen’ or ‘I am safe’ — and see it in works that will inspire you with their ingenuity. In prison, access to materials is limited. You’ll be amazed at what can be done with clinical waste bags, rice, beans, matchsticks, crisp packets and pine needles from the prison yard. It’s not just the creative use of material that caught my eye, though, because the overall quality of the work is incredibly high. There are works on par with commercial art fairs I’ve attended, which is all the more impressive when you factor in the almost total lack of access to outside information and reference material. Many works are based on memories, and Joelle noted that some of the artists can’t even read or write. But their artistic skills are obvious, even if they are anonymous.
The only information you’ll get is the title and medium of the works, along with the institution in which the artist is housed. It could have been made from a man, woman or child. There’s no way to know anything about what they have done. Murder? Petty theft? Or just someone being housed in an immigration detention centre? Keeping everyone anonymous helps remove some of the stigma that’s often associated with those who are imprisoned. It’s far too easy to think of prisons solely as punishment, and to forget about the equally critical component of reform.
Seeing these works gives me hope. Even the ones that are harrowing and hard to embrace. They are evidence that someone who done wrong is now trying to make something right. To not be defined by who they had been, but who they could be. I know first hand that nothing builds self-esteem faster, or stronger, than seeing something you made enjoyed by others. Although in this instance the artists are understandably not able to receive your feedback in person. If you go I encourage you to fill out a feedback form to let them know what you think of their work. Though for many, the process itself may be reward enough.
“Three thousand, seven hundred and eighty-two days and counting, same breakfast, same faces, same pillow — but put a brush in my hand and the walls dissolve. I am transported to lands where light and colour and texture are everything, where I can be happy, where for a time I can be free.” — Koestler Awards entrant
Plan your visit
‘In Case of Emergency’ runs until 17 December.
Free — located in Exhibition Space, Level 1
Visit southbankcentre.co.uk and follow @southbankcentre on Instagram for more info about the venue.
Visit koestlerarts.org.uk and follow @koestlerarts on Instagram for more info about the charity.
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
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