Art at HMP Grendon

ABOUT

Art at HMP Grendon is an artist residency programme, produced by Ikon at HMP Grendon, Buckinghamshire.

With a focus on the development of the prisoners’ artistic practice, in 2022 Ikon opened the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Studio at HMP Grendon – a dedicated space for workshops, in printing and painting, and a changing programme of exhibitions, art historical and contemporary.

The Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust has funded Art at HMP Grendon since 2011. During this period Ikon has managed two artist residencies – Edmund Clark (2014 – 2018) and Dean Kelland (2019 – 2023) – resulting in major exhibitions at Ikon Gallery and HMP Grendon.

The residency runs alongside a public programme of research symposia and events at Ikon, allowing a platform for public discourse on the role of art in criminal justice. A number of related publications are available from Ikon Shop.

HISTORY: ART AT HMP GRENDON

Dean Kelland (2019 – 2023) is a Birmingham-born artist who works across performance, photography and filmmaking. During his residency Kelland referenced figures from popular culture such as Elvis and David Bowie, interrogating male identity and flawed notions of masculinity.

Edmund Clark (2014 – 2018) is an artist with a longstanding interest in incarceration and its effects. During his residency Clark created work that explores ideas of visibility, representation, trauma and self-image.

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