
The Koestler Trust
Established in 1962 by the Hungarian born writer Arthur Koestler, The Koestler Awards were designed to “stimulate as far as possible, and in as many cases as possible, the mind and spirit of the prisoner.” As a advocate of the abolition of capital punishment and with first hand experience of incarceration, Koestler was passionate about supporting those in prison through art. The charity has grown rapidly over the years and now averages over 8,000 entrants to their annual awards and they also provide a programme for ex-offenders to continue pursuing their artistic careers outside of secure institutions.
The Stockwell Charitable Trust supports the work of The Koestler Trust in several ways, one of which is to exhibit an item of sculpture at the show. Although we do not know the name of the artist, we know they are told that their work has been displayed, and to date always sold, which has been an enormously positive boost to their self-belief.