Paper Chained International
From 3 – 31 May 2024
At Boom Gate Gallery, opening hours: 9am to 3pm, Thursday to Sunday, or by appointment.
Showcasing prisoners’ art from Correctional Centres around the world Paper chained International Art is currently on exhibition at Sydney’s Boom Gate Gallery.
Transcending narrow perceptions, Prison Art is a growing art genre for prisoner self- expression, as well as a communication to audiences. This exhibition draws on prisoner art from around the world, including New Zealand, Wales, California and Kenya; and from Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, the Northern Territory), more information available in the above link.
These artwork are also available for sale.
Hon. Margaret Beazley AC KC – NSW Governor
Launching the exhibition Her Excellency spoke eloquently, drawing on the value of prisoners writing while in custody and of Oscar Wilde’s writings from 1897. She drew a parallel history to the curator, Damien Linnane. When under the strict control of being issued a single page of paper, Wilde wrote daily prose about the pain of isolation during his life in detention. These culminated in eighty pages that were later published in De Profundis – ‘from the depths’ of being incarcerated in UK’s Reading jail. It influenced his friends to press for better conditions, and his prison experiences influenced much of his professional writing.
Hon. Beazley highly valued the importance of humanity, hope and art as its expression:
‘Everyone has a deep well of humanity. Enabling of creativity taps that well of humanity and to express it in prison gives hope. When one can do something personally meaningful, to do something that taps self-worth, they are already on the road to something, and to rehabilitation.’
Hon. Beazley encouraged prisoner engagement in some form of self expression, for this does make it easier for prisoners, and for their families to be happier and better united. She commended the artist and curator, Damien Linnane, and that his ‘fantastic’ writings during prison that led to the publication, Paper Chained. Just like Oscar Wilde, there is a synchronicity between Damien’s writings in prison and his current PhD at Newcastle University.
She received an indigenous painting gifted from a prison artist, Mr Wilson.
Damien Linnane – Exhibition Curator, publisher & artist
The curator was incarcerated in 2015, where Damien spent the first half of his sentence hand-writing a crime novel, and the second half he taught himself to draw. He described how – despite taking 2 weeks to get a writing pad – he began by writing on the back of single sheet Inmate Request Forms, culminating into a novel, Scarred.
Since his release, Damien has been presenting his and other prisoners’ art works, and this is his first curation of an art exhibition.
He accepts commissions for photo-realistic portraits and operates Vigilante Studios; illustrated a 2021 book Ear Hustle; edits an international prison journal Paper Chained; and hosted with City of Newcastle Broken Chains. He intends to continue curating, however in addition to continuing his PhD, he is lobbying in the Federal Court for Medicare funding for the health of prisoners.
CSNSW, Acting Commissioner Leon Taylor
He referred to the ‘artery of trauma that goes right across the entire justice system, from Out of Home Care to Boom Gate Gallery’. Boom Gate Gallery which is located at Long Bay Correctional Centre has showcased prisoner art for over 30 years. Mr Taylor recognised that self expression is a vital part of healing, and so art is to be cultivated. A noteworthy example of prisoner achievements occurred at Wellington Prison: where dozens of First Nations prisoners revealed their talent, and raised funds to assist the education of disadvantaged children and indigenous people (Yalmambirra Art Exhibition, Children are our future, 2021).
Chairman CICC. Deputy Commissioner, Corrections Strategy and Governance, Corrective Services NSW, Luke Grant
He made special mention of a Clarence prisoner being a Dhungatti artist who donated the art work to Governor Beasley. Mr Grant reflected on the significance of this exhibition and the thoughts of curator, Nick Waterlow who believed that art transcends barriers.
Mr Grant drew our attention to the significance of how each speaker was framed against the larger custodial backdrop conveyed in contemporary artwork, Then Came Art by ‘Chris’. In 2000 the artist saw medical stretchers piled up as rubbish, and two were creatively repurposed – re-inscribed with the statistical human reality of deaths in custody.
The pair are on permanent display as part of the gallery’s collection.
