LONDON.- Each year Koestler Arts, the UK’s best-known prison arts charity looks for a different approach to curate the annual UK Koestler exhibition at Southbank Centre. This year, Koestler Arts wanted a curator who could take entrants’ stories far beyond the page.

Another Me is the 12th exhibition produced by Koestler Arts in partnership with London’s Southbank Centre, taking place from 19 September – 3 November 2019. This year, the exhibition has been curated by award-winning musician Soweto Kinch, one of the most exciting and versatile young musicians in both the British jazz and hip-hop scenes.

Jazz musician Soweto Kinch visited Koestler Arts, on the grounds of Wormwood Scrubs prison in July this year, and methodically worked his way through 7,610 submissions to this year’s Koestler Awards from across the UK and by UK prisoners abroad. He considered each of the 52 categories, and every work, looking for stories and surprises that spotlight the diversity and depth of experience within our criminal justice system.

For the first time, music is at the forefront of the exhibition, given Kinch’s curatorial role in Another Me. Over 150 artworks are on display, from music and poetry to paintings, drawings and sculpture. Soweto has split this year’s show into three scenes: Stained Glass Superman, Disco Dogs and That Was Then, This Is Now. Each is set to a soundscape of Soweto’s own music.

From the meditative entrance visitors will first interact with masks, costumed figures and games; then experience intense colours and see anthropomorphised animals; before coming to a more peaceful, contemplative finale. Soweto’s selection is layered and multi-faceted. Included in his selection are brave portraits, gentle knitted interventions on found objects, cuddly space invaders, archived nitrous oxide canisters, and J cloths interwoven with milk cartons and tampon boxes.

Soweto Kinch, curator of the exhibition, said: ‘As a composer and performer I’m often drawn to works with a powerful sense of narrative, and those which challenge myths and stereotypes. This is an exciting opportunity to bring my experiences as a musician into selecting works which encourage audiences to view the layered worlds of the artists from multiple and fresh perspectives.’

Another Me will be further brought to life by a spoken word and poetry evening, pop-up performances in the exhibition space, tours by ex-prisoners, mindfulness events, and gigs by musicians who’ve been through prison.