Postcards From Prison

A Koestler Trust exhibition and fundraising event hosted by comedian Griff Rhys Jones at Sotheby’s, Bond Street, on Thursday 10 May, 6.30 – 8.30pm

POSTCARDS FROM PRISON is an exhibition and fundraising event at which 160 original artworks by high-profile artists and artists from prisons across the country will be won by lottery. 

Artists including Jeremy Deller, Tracey Emin, Cornelia Parker and Mark Wallinger have donated artworks on postcards, which will be exhibited alongside postcards created by prisoners. 

The Koestler Trust is the UK’s leading prison arts charity, running an annual Awards scheme, exhibitions across the UK in venues including the Southbank Centre, and arts mentoring and employment programmes. Past and present judges of the Koestler Awards include Louis Theroux, Ghetts, Sarah Lucas, Grayson Perry, Emma Bridgewater, and Speech Debelle.

All ticket sales from Postcards from Prison will go towards continuing the Koestler Trust’s work rewarding, awarding, exhibiting, selling and championing artwork by prisoners, people in secure hospitals and immigration removal centres.

The exhibition will be open to the public free of charge from 9 to 10 May from 9am to 4.30pm. 

Tickets to the event on Thursday 10 May (6.30 – 8.30pm) are £100, including an original postcard artwork drawn in a lottery and an invitation for two to the champagne reception at Sotheby’s. Those who are not available on 10 May but would still like a chance to win a postcard can buy a £50 ticket for the postcard lottery draw.   

“We are so grateful to the all the artists, both inside and out, who have donated a postcard. You have a one in four chance of winning an original Cornelia Parker! Having donations from such high-profile artists is wonderful and we’ve been blown away by the amazing works by prisoners. It is difficult to distinguish between them,” says CEO Sally Taylor.

Tickets are on sale at www.koestlertrust.org.uk/events/ or call 020 8740 0333.

£100  event ticket (including postcard lottery ticket)

£50  postcard lottery ticket