Opening on 2 November, the show curated by award-winning poet Joelle Taylor, features nearly 200 artworks by artists in prison and other secure establishments from across the UK.
The exhibition, in partnership with the Southbank Centre, draws attention to themes of separation and connection through a series of glass cases and vitrines, inviting the public to metaphorically ‘break the glass’ and overcome barriers to creativity.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
2 November – 17 December 2023
Southbank Centre
Exhibition Space, Level 1, Royal Festival Hall

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY will feature nearly 200 artworks across visual, writing and music categories entered into the 2023 Koestler Awards. The scheme has been awarding talent and creativity by individuals in prisons, secure mental health facilities, immigration removal centres, young offender institutions, and on community sentences, across the UK since 1962. Through their programme of exhibitions, they work to debunk stereotypes and demonstrate the human value and potential of people in the criminal justice system.

Having worked creatively in prisons for over twenty years, Joelle Taylor’s motivation for this year’s exhibition is to showcase the talent and imagination that springs from secure settings. Choosing from over 8,000 pieces sent into this year’s Awards, the poet selected artworks that showcase both excellence and ingenuity. These qualities are shown in different ways by the artists, through concept, skill and story-telling, as well as through the use of unusual materials that highlight their resourcefulness. These include artworks made from crisp packets, prison issue soap, rice, seeds and even clinical waste bags.

Shaped by her own work, the poet’s focus settled on the concept of encasement to explore themes of separation and connection. Taylor was keen to explore how things are presented, contained and scrutinised and this is reflected in the design of the exhibition, where artworks are encased in various ways. Ten table vitrines contain many of the artworks, creating a clinical and imposing environment. In the same space, large metal structures are used to hang pieces of work and present 3D artworks. While these structures support the imposing atmosphere created by the vitrines, they also represent a change to the encasement of the artworks. The structures are not covered by glass or Perspex and only serve to frame the artworks. In this way, visitors will be invited to think about how it feels to be on either side of the glass as they become framed by the structures, too.

The title, IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, encourages visitors to complete the well-known phrase with ‘break glass’. This will be reinforced at the end of the exhibition, where artworks are no longer ‘encased’ but are now free from this constraint. “When I see these cases, it makes me think of what happens when we break the glass, what happens when ideas escape,” said Joelle Taylor, curator of the show and previous Koestler Awards judge. The hope is that the exhibition reinforces the idea that creativity does have the power to break down barriers and by engaging with the artworks, visitors are bringing this action to life.

As a poet, Taylor was also keen to celebrate the written word and consider different ways of presenting it. Poems are printed on materials associated with prison – a single bed sheet, a grey jumper, food trays – while spoken word is played through phones to mimic a moment of interaction and create a sense of connection. In addition to curating the exhibition, Joelle Taylor is also the foreword writer for Koestler Arts’ fourth volume of poetry, Koestler Voices: New Poetry from Prisons Vol.4. The anthology, which features poetry written by those in criminal justice settings over the past two years, will be published in the Autumn and available to buy at the Pop-Up Shop in the exhibition space. Voices from Prison, Koestler Arts’ annual poetry event, will take place on 8 November at the Southbank Centre. Limited tickets are still available to purchase through the Southbank Centre website.

Some of the artworks on display are for sale and will be available to purchase through the Koestler Arts website from 2 November. There will also be opportunities for visitors to write feedback on their favourite pieces in the exhibition space, which will be sent directly to the artists after the exhibition.

Free exhibition tours will be available for the public at set times of the day, Thursday to Sunday, by specially trained guides who have personal experience of the criminal justice system (please see Koestler Arts’ website for times and more information). The guides will be happy to talk more about the important role creativity plays in the criminal justice system and to supply more information about the wider work of Koestler Arts.