Evy Amir Syamsudin
For incarcerated individuals (WBP) who are often scorned and ostracized by society, receiving the limelight and applause is often unimaginable. Engaging in the arts offers these people an opportunity to prove they are more than just their past mistakes. It shows that when given enough space and trust, they too can create beautiful things for others to enjoy, whether it's literature, songs, performances, photography, or paintings.
Arts in Prison tells the story of how incarcerated individuals strive to create amid all the limitations and the lurking despair. Amidst their dark days, and also for the families they've had to leave behind, there are glimmers of hope. Those people include an inmate who learned to write letters and finally expressed affection to his father; another whose outpouring of longing for her late husband was musicalized and performed by a legendary orchestra; and an incarcerated person who held a solo painting exhibition at a prestigious art venue, just a few years after being sentenced to death.
For inmates fortunate enough to receive a second chance, the experience of creating in prison is expected to ignite hope. This allows them to persevere through difficult times and, when the time comes, to contribute creatively to society again.