Choose Life, HM Prison Lowdham Grange, Themed Category: A Day in the Life, 2023

OVER 60 years ago the writer Arthur (Darkness at Noon) Koestler organised the first scheme to award money prizes for artistic achievement to prisoners, detainees, and psychiatric patients in the United Kingdom.

This year Koestler Arts received more than 8,000 entries across a wide variety of creative mediums, and the pick of them are included in their annual awards show which opened at the Southbank Centre this week.*

The curator for 2023 is the poet, playwright, and author Joelle Taylor, who says: “I’ve spent about 20 years now working in prisons so I’m aware of the vast range and diversity of arts that are created within the criminal justice system, and the opportunity to be able to introduce that to a wider public is compelling.”

She added: “I think people should come to the exhibition to be in the presence of excellence. And then the secondary reason is I want people to challenge their understanding of who prisoners are, who inmates are, who residents of secure units are. They are part of humanity, and a vibrant part, and through that I want them to question the way that we operate the criminal justice system as well.

“But excellence and life and humanity, that’s why you should come.”

Titled In Case of Emergency, the 2023 awards exhibition features some 200 works across visual arts, writing, music, and more. The scheme aims to “debunk stereotypes and demonstrate the human value and potential of people in the criminal justice system”.

The Blue Period, HM Prison Peterborough, Mixed Media, 2023

And while resources available in any institution will vary, ingenuity is never lacking. Some “unusual materials” used for the works include “crisp packets, prison-issue soap, rice, seeds and even clinical waste bags”.

The show title aims to encourage visitors to complete the well-known phrase and metaphorically “break the glass”, to help overcome barriers to creativity. A central theme is “encasement”, in a variety of ways and of outcomes.

Joelle Taylor has also written a foreword for Koestler Arts’ latest poetry anthology which features work by people in criminal justice settings from over the past two years. Voices from Prison, Koestlers’ annual poetry event, will take place on November 8 at the Southbank Centre.

Visitors are encouraged to write feedback on their favourite artworks in the exhibition and these will be sent directly to the artists after the show. Elsewhere Koestler volunteers also aim to provide similar feedback for as many of the entrants as possible each year.

Participants also receive certificates, have the opportunity to be selected for a mentoring programme, and are able to sell their artworks.

For more information see: www.koestlerarts.org.uk or @koestlerarts

• In Case of Emergency runs at Southbank Centre, Exhibition Space, Level 1, Royal Festival Hall, SE1 8XX until December 17.