
Freedom will run from 27 October to 18 December, and will mark the 60th anniversary of the Koestler Awards, organised by the Koestler Arts charity, exhibiting and selling works by prisoners. As well as featuring the work of prisoners, Freedom includes art created by individuals living in secure mental health facilities, immigration removal centres, young offender institutions and people on community sentences across the UK.

Ai Weiwei said: “This exhibition focuses on the role that the act of thinking and creating plays in life under constraints. Notable works of art and literature in history were created when the artist was restricted, oppressed, and challenged, rather than being completely free.” Anthony Gormley and Sarah Lucas are among past curators of Koestler Arts’ Southbank exhibition, now in its 15th year. For the annual awards, Koestler invites people across the criminal justice system to submit works in 52 different categories.Another week of judging done👍 This week Awards were chosen across a variety of categories, including Instrumental, Hip Hop, Rap & Grime, Drawing and Poems, and we were joined by 13 fabulous judges!
There’s now only a month until the results are announced on our website🙌🎉 pic.twitter.com/0XEvDZiQNc — Koestler Arts (@KoestlerArts) July 28, 2022