Natural Expression
"Flower," Jill Day
In prison, nature is distanced, muted, and mediated by concertina wire, sparse landscaping, and generic images. At the same time, nature is present on the very ground on which the prison sits, in the life forms inside, and in the abundant art representing themes from the natural world. In a world where the primary elements are depressingly cold concrete surfaces, steel bars, and perimeter fencing and walls, artists rely on their minimal access to nature to hold on to a distant connection with the outside world. Some embrace nature in art by creating beautiful and intimate realistic renditions of nostalgic landscapes, yearned for places of refuge, or the puppy sweetness of a service dog in training. For some lucky incarcerated artists, natural material in the yard in the form of smooth colorful pebbles or plant matter are found, harvested, and used in their art.
The non-human animal world and natural environment, in contrast to the violences of carceral geographies, can offer non-judgmental spaces for creative imagining. Paintings and drawings represent a lion’s majestic vitality or a tree’s rootedness and resilience, equal to the strength of an artist’s spirit. In one instance, it was a new physical connection with nature that inspired an artist to begin drawing again when he was moved to a cell looking out onto a woodland, after many years facing the prison grounds.
Some artists, perhaps because of the environment or their emotional state of mind, twist nature into unconventional scenes filled with symbolic meaning, emotional connections, and metaphors. The artists featured here deploy the formal language of nature to express something deeper than what you see on the canvas. Remember, though, that this imagery emerges from a headspace of tedium and conditions that most of us don’t understand: the confusion, frustration, and chaos that exist in all prisons; the pain, anger, remorse, and longing that incarcerated artists go through for years if not decades. However, these works of art that engage with nature and expression very much create an atmosphere where artists can find their own peace of mind, allowing for a less confined existence. The works here also allow artists and viewers to commune and connect with each other on a very personal if not intimate level.
By: Martín Vargas and Megan Holmes
