Koestler Arts: Night Owls and Abstractions
Explore an exhibition showcasing the artistic range and talent of people in criminal justice settings, curated by poet and playwright Inua Ellams.
The artworks on display in this free exhibition were entered into the 2025 Koestler Awards, an arts competition for people in the UK’s criminal justice system, highlighting the talent and creativity within secure settings.
From over 7,500 entries, Ellams has selected around 200 artworks, which he hopes challenge preconceptions of the kind of art you’d expect to be created in secure settings: humour and colour sit alongside sadness and monochromatic designs, and a variety of textile works emphasise the importance of softness in hard places.
While curating the exhibition, Ellams was struck by the many depictions of owls and what they might represent to people in these settings. ‘To me, these night birds are symbolic of what it means to be behind bars, looking out, thinking and searching for clarity that often only comes at night,’ he says.
Need to know
Free exhibition tours are available with guides, some of whom have personal experience of the criminal justice system and can speak about the important role creativity plays in these settings.
Tours take place at the following times:
Wed: 4pm & 6pm
Fri: 6pm
Sat & Sun: 3pm & 4pm
Selected work
For your visit
This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.