Koestler Arts: Freedom

Excellent exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall from the Koestler Arts, an organisation organising art therapy in prisons.

The trust has an annual show and it is always interesting. This year it was curated by Ai Weiwei and went for impact. Over 1000 pictures were shown in small displays the size of an average prison cell highlighting the enormity of the issue and the power of making rather than the product.

Some cells also had poems on the floor and at the end was a display of sculptures and handicraft. Rather than labelling the work this year the works were numbered and listen in a small book which made it feel very like the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. I’m pretty sure it was the same format and font!

What a brilliant idea to have it curated by such a major artist who has been a prisoner themselves. I hope the big name attracts more people to come to the show.

Closes 18 December 2022

 

 

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