“There is so much good in the worst of us,
And so much bad in the best of us,
That it hardly behooves any of us
To talk about the rest of us.”
Anonymous
As I came to the end of my tour of the Koestler Exhibition with a group of prisoners’ family members, this quote greeted me and stayed with me.
It is so easy for us to pass judgement on those of society who are imprisoned, whether that judgement be about the crimes for which they have been convicted or our perceptions of their possible character and personality. The artwork on display at the Koestler Exhibition told many stories; some reflected the artist’s surroundings and current reality, others tried to give a glimpse of some of the confusion and pain going on inside the artist’s mind and still others had a playful, carefree element to them.
This was a special day as it was the only day where the families of those, whose work was displayed, could visit the exhibition and see their loved ones’ artwork. Where they could experience a place where there was no judgement of their brother’s, sister’s, aunt’s, uncle’s, mum’s or dad’s negative situations but a place where there could be intelligent, interesting conversation and genuine appreciation of the creativity and messages portrayed.
“It is his gift to us”, said one sister who was visibly moved when she stood in front of her brother’s piece of work. Other family members laughed and joked and fought back tears when they could proudly show off their loved one’s work.
Many of them had travelled from all over the UK to visit the exhibition. Michael Varah Memorial Fund supported the Family Day which enables many family members, who otherwise would not be able to afford it, to visit London and the South Bank and have a day specially for them.
During our tour we attracted a few people who were not part of the family day but were intrigued to hear the interpretations of the work and to know more about the exhibition.
It was a privilege to be part of the Family Day, to have conversations with family members and have a better understanding of things from their perspective. They are often forgotten and we must remember that, for many family members, the love they feel for their relative is still strong and real and that they often suffer because of the stigma attached to someone in the family being in prison.
The quote above that resonated with me was etched onto an engraving by a prisoner. I thought about the time it must have taken for him or her to make that engraving and what they might have been thinking about as they etched.
by Emma-Sue Prince, MVMF Board Adviser
