UK Supreme Court Arts Trust showcases work helping offenders transform their lives

The exhibition, PAPERWORK, has been curated by the Koestler Trust in collaboration with independent charity Victim Support. The display draws upon over 6,500 entries to this year’s Koestler Awards, an annual scheme that has been recognising artistic achievement in the criminal justice and secure sectors for 54 years.

The invitation to the Koestler Trust was issued by the newly-formed UK Supreme Court Arts Trust, an independent charitable body which exists to promote understanding of legal institutions through art installations and other educative projects. The trust is independent of the court and works to raise sponsorship for its activities, rather than using public funds.

The selected artworks explore the creative ways paper (a material integral to the workings of the legal system), has been re-imagined and re-worked by Koestler entrants in prison, serving community sentences or in secure psychiatric care. As part of its collaboration with Victim Support for this exhibition, the Koestler Trust invited people who had been affected by crime to respond to some of the artworks. Their responses are displayed within the exhibition.

Works from the exhibition are available for sale, with proceeds supporting the work of both the Koestler Trust and Victim Support.

The artworks cover a range of Koestler Award visual art categories and provide a unique snapshot of the creative talents of prisoners and secure patients across the UK.

Sir Anthony Salz, chairman, UK Supreme Court Arts Trust, said: “More than 20,000 people will visit the Supreme Court this summer and we are pleased to be able to arrange a platform for the Koestler Trust’s innovative work helping offenders reshape their lives while at the same time supporting those who have suffered as a result of crime. The exhibition provides an absorbing insight into the hearts and minds of a group of offenders, and importantly, of victims too.”

Sally Taylor, chief executive, Koestler Trust, said: “We are delighted to have been invited by The Supreme Court Arts Trust to curate an exhibition in collaboration with Victim Support. This will enable large numbers of the public to appreciate the creativity, imagination and inventiveness of those in secure settings.’”

Lucy Hastings, director at independent charity Victim Support, said: “We are proud to be associated with the Koestler Trust and its work to help offenders understand the impact of their actions on the lives of victims.

“From supporting thousands of crime victims every year, we know that what people want most is that no-one else should suffer as they have, and so we welcome initiatives like this which help offenders change their lives.

“The money raised will help our specially trained staff and volunteers give more victims the practical help and emotional support they need to recover and move on from crime.”

The exhibition is open on weekdays from 3 August to 30 September 2016 from 9.30am – 4.30pm on the lower ground level of the Supreme Court in central London.

This exhibition is supported by Interserve and Serco. The Koestler Trust is supported by Arts Council England and NOMS (the National Offender Management Service), with additional support from individual trusts, donors and sponsors.