Viewing Koestler Arts: Freedom

To mark the 60th anniversary of the Koestler Awards, Koestler Arts presents an ambitious exhibition of works by nearly 3000 artists in the UK’s criminal justice system curated by Ai Weiwei.

Installed in the Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre, Freedom features works spanning a variety of categories and media that explore the impact of curtailed freedom, while showing the extent of human resilience when put in extreme circumstances.

‘This exhibition focuses on the role that the act of thinking and creating plays in life under constraints,’ said Ai, who visited different prisons in the UK including HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs which is situated next to the Koestler Arts Centre. ‘I hope that this exhibition can inspire people to reflect upon the loss of freedom and those that continue to create art to fight for space in life and freedom of expression despite adversity.’
The exhibition space will take the form of 15 cell-like spaces that are based on the size of a typical cell in a UK prison, with each cell containing between 78 and 131 artworks. At certain points during the day, quotes from displayed artists will be played out loud.

‘I’ve seen on countless occasions how art can be a space for personal liberation and growth,’ said Mark Ball, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre. ‘A belief that is made manifest by the extraordinary work of Koestler Arts.’ We can’t think of a better exhibition to get behind.