Koestler Arts is the UK’s best-known prison arts charity. One of their aims is to help prisoners, individuals in secure hospital settings and detainees lead more positive lives by motivating them to participate and achieve in the arts. Each year Koestler Arts holds exhibitions to showcase the fantastic artwork that is produced by people in these settings.
This year the exhibition is called ‘Freedom’ which has been curated by Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian and activist, Al Weiwei. Weiwei aim was for the exhibition to be as inclusive as possible and to let the artwork show how humanity responds when put in extreme circumstances. His exhibition design comprises fifteen cell spaces that are based on the size of a typical cell in a UK prison, which roughly measures 1.8m by 3m.
The young people at the Excel and Exceed Centre spent a half term learning to weave in their weekly art lessons with Art Teacher, Sally Craig. They then used these new skills to create designs around the theme of ‘Taste’ to enter this year’s Koestler Arts competition. The students chose to weave designs inspired by the different colours and textures of fruit.
When one of the young people found out that their work had been chosen to appear in the exhibition they said: “I didn’t think my work would be chosen but I was thrilled to think that it would be in a London Art Gallery.”
On her students’ achievements Sally said: “It was fantastic to see some of the work from our young people to be chosen to be exhibited. They worked so hard and it was great that their work was recognised.”
The exhibition is taking place in Exhibition Space, Level 1, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre until 18th December 2022.
Well done to all three young people for this brilliant achievement!