Exhibition of work from HMP Buckley Hall at Touchstones

Date published: 21 December 2007

Prison art has historically been bound by clichés and HMP Buckley Hall would like to erase the boundaries that have been drawn around prison art and enter a new concept of art that represents both the artist and the offender.

The work produced at Buckley Hall is part of a journey and contains many different creative components which enable the artist to look beyond their circumstance.

Both tutors involved in organising this exhibition are practising artists who believe in drawing attention to both cognitive process as well as the more intuitive approach to art and offer the learners a different way of learning.

Through the many creative processes students experience the art of losing themselves in their work to escape the world, and also engage in something bigger than themselves irrespective of their environment.

Public exhibitions such as the annual CIS exhibition in Manchester and this new exhibition at Touchstones Rochdale have encouraged the students to look beyond the boundaries and break down the perceived ideas concerning prison art.

This year students have also exhibited at the ICA and the Koestler Exhibition in London in for which they received prizes, acknowledgements and students’ work was sold.

This new exhibition in Gallery One at Touchstones Rochdale runs from Saturday 22 December 2007 to Sunday 17 February 2808. Admission is free.

Gallery One is dedicated to exhibitions by groups or individuals who live or work in the Borough of Rochdale. Proposals are selected by an independent panel and aim to reflect the wide range of creative talent and interests that exist in the area.