The Koestler East of England Exhibition
Curated by Firstsite’s Young Art Kommunity (YAK)
10 Mar – 03 Jun 2018
Firstsite, Colchester
Chip Night was an exhibition of artwork, writing and music from people in prisons, secure hospitals, and on community sentences in the East of England. It was curated by young people from Firstsite’s Young Art Kommunity (YAK). They brought together works around the broad theme of identity, having considered how the artists portrayed their own interests, emotions and situation. This exhibition looked to question our preconceptions of individuals within the criminal justice system.
A different group or individual is invited to curate each Koestler exhibition, giving every show a unique look and voice. For Chip Night, YAK volunteered to take on this challenge. The project involved workshop sessions where YAK learnt about curating and engaged with a range of artwork, writing and music before carefully considering hundreds of entries to the 2017 Koestler Awards from the East of England region. By looking through these works, they considered the realities of life inside, and discussed why people might make art in prison or other secure settings.
“Working with Koestler has been a really cool process that allowed us to develop as young curators through putting together this collection of artwork around our chosen theme of identity. Through this we explored things like who people are and what they feel, which sparked interesting conversations among us as a group – hopefully it will open up some amongst the viewers too.”
Online Gallery
Who’s Vulnerable Now!
HM Prison Bure
Painting
2017
What Would He Think?
HM Prison & Young Offender Institution Norwich
Mixed Media
2017
Walking with Dinosaur
HM Prison Littlehey
Highly Commended Award for Painting
2017
Visitors Kiss
HM Prison Peterborough
Commended Award for Mixed Media
2017
Sunset
HM Prison Peterborough
Painting
2017
The Wormhole
HM Prison Bure
Painting
2017
The Rejection
HM Prison The Mount
Painting
2017
Stuck In The Earth
HM Prison & Young Offender Institution Norwich
Sculpture
2017
Storm’s A’Coming
HM Prison Bure
Pastel
2017
Red Model with Blue Shard
HM Prison The Mount
Commended Award for Sculpture
2017
Psycho Farm
HM Prison Bure
Ariane Bankes Platinum Award for Drawing
2017
Out of the Darkness
HM Prison Warren Hill
Painting
2017
Mystic Bridge
HM Prison Wayland
Bronze Award for Watercolour and Gouache
2017
My Dame Edna Fourway
HM Prison Bure
Portrait
2017
Mute
HM Prison Littlehey
First-Time Entrant Award for Painting
2017
Metatrons Cube
HM Prison Peterborough
Matchstick Model
2017
Littleuke
HM Prison Littlehey
Matchstick Model
2017
Li≈´tas
HM Prison Wayland
Painting
2017
Inside: Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired
HM Prison Littlehey
Commended Award for Sculpture
2017
Inside this Revered Creation Creativity Has Prevailed, Injustice is Done
HM Prison Bure
Portrait2017
Inside Syria
HM Prison The Mount
Mixed Media
2017
Inside My Mind
Milton Park Hospital
Portrait
2017
Imagination + Effort = Beauty
HM Prison Bure
Commended Award for Watercolour and Gouache
2017
Images in the Dark
HM Prison Bure
Bronze Award for Drawing
2017
If I Were a Cat
HM Prison Peterborough
Sculpture
2017
I’m Here In Body, Not In Mind
HM Prison & Young Offender Institution Chelmsford
Commended Award for Mixed Media
2017
Heath
HM Prison Warren Hill
Portrait
2017
From the Outside Looking in
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Probation Trust
Victor Cook Highly Commended Award for Digital Art
2017
Despair – Emotions On The Inside
HM Prison Warren Hill
Bronze Award for Drawing
Silver Audience Choice Award
2017
Crucian Carp
HM Prison Warren Hill
Commended Award for Woodcraft
2017
Childhood
HM Prison Warren Hill
Gold Audience Choice Award
Portrait
2017
Beermats 2
Broadland Clinic Little Plumstead Hospital
Mixed Media
2017
And I Need My Dad
HM Prison Wayland
Renee Cressey Highly Commended Award for Textile Art
Platinum Audience Choice Award
2017
After the Storm
HM Prison Warren Hill
Painting
2017
A New Beginning – For Me Too – I Hope
HM Prison Bure Watercolour and Gouache
2017
A Man Without a Mirror
HM Prison & Young Offender Institution Norwich
Bronze Audience Choice Award
Sculpture
2017
