14 - 16 August 2024
Millbank Tower London

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The exhibition “Afterwalls: of the panopticon and its ruins” seeks to examine the relationship between artists and their institutions. 

The exhibition’s site is next to the historical remnants of Millbank Prison*, the Tate Britain, and Chelsea College of Arts. Through historical and philosophical lenses of Millbank Tower’s surviving prison wall and Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon**, the exhibition is particularly interested in those works questioning the control and power of the institutions, the concept of being constantly watched, and the metaphorical 'maze' of art disciplines.

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“Afterwalls” is a question for art students and graduates, how art can simultaneously imprison us and liberate us, and in what ways the “walls” impact our creativity, belief, knowledge and power?

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Historical  reference:

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*Millbank Prison: Millbank Prison, established in 1816, was once a prominent and infamous institution in London. Designed to be a reformative institution, it operated until 1890 and gained a reputation for harsh conditions and strict discipline. The prison’s architecture and operation were influenced by contemporary penal theories, including those of Jeremy Bentham.

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**The Panopticon: In the late 1700s, Jeremy Bentham, the English philosopher, idealised the perfect prison—he called this theoretical construct the “Panopticon” (All-Seeing). The panopticon was based around the idea that a centrally placed observation centre, where jailers could observe all prisoners’ cells without being seen, could create a highly efficient prison system. Although Millbank Prison was not a perfect realisation of Bentham’s panopticon, it incorporated many of its principles, emphasising constant surveillance and control as means of reform. ​​