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Sir Joseph Pilling, Dean Stalham and Tim Robertson |
Views from the inside
Following the success of the ICA’s exhibition of prisoner’s artworks, the Koestler Awards are now on full display in Wormwood Scrubs. Ed Cumming reports
ALMOST two thousand works of art by prisoners are on display at Wormwood Scrubs.
The exhibition, an extension of the ICA’s Insider Art show, opened on Thursday, and showcases the painting, drawing, sculpture and handicraft of people in prisons and secure units all over the country.
One man who never expected to see his work hanging there is Dean Stalham. Mr Stalham was in Ford Open Prison for three and a half years for handling stolen goods, but since his release has not only exhibited his award-winning works but also joined the Koestler Trust, which organised the exhibition, full-time.
He has also written two plays – Sporadicity, which was performed at the Pleasance Islington in April, and Sentimental, which will be performed at the Union Theatre, in Southwark.
But a wry smile comes over his face when he explains the irony of his situation: “The stolen goods I handled were £600,000 worth of contemporary artworks. So I knew the art world, and that’s the subject of my painting,” he said.
His work, Cyclops Pimp, is an allegorical abstraction of the art world he once exploited criminally and is now a paid-up member of.
It sits among three floors jam-packed with works, an explosion of colour, energy and, in some cases, remarkable talent.
As you might predict, there is a range of talent on show, but some pieces are breathtaking – a handcrafted Devenport desk, complete with secret drawers, is a particular highlight. And materials are used in a consistently imaginative way, particularly ceramics – apt, since Grayson Perry, who won the Turner Prize for his highly detailed pots, was one of this year’s judges.
Tim Robertson, Director of the Koestler Trust, believes that the awards give offenders the chance to realise their potential in previously unknown areas. Dean Stalham certainly agrees.
“I entered in 2006 and got a Highly Commended, and then when I was on probation I spoke to Tim and got involved as a volunteer,” he said. “Then this year Tim took me on full time.”
It represents a remarkable turnaround, and just one example of the success the trust has had in offering offenders new avenues.
Sir Joseph Pilling, the Chairman of the Koestler Trustees and a former Director of HM Prison Service, was also present at the opening of the exhibition. Almost all of the works are on sale, for prices between £50-£500.
This is a remarkable exhibition, and one cannot help but be startled not only by the worthiness of the cause, but by the unmistakably high standard of the art.
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