For over 10 years, Ikon has been working in partnership with Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust to deliver its work with artists and communities. A new publication, Building a Legacy (2025) gives an overview of the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust between 1997–2025.

Simon J. Harris is Ikon’s Artist in Residence at HMP Grendon. James Latunji-Cockbill, Ikon’s Producer, Art in Prisons, interviews the artist after his first three months of working at the prison.

Ikon is pleased to announce that artist James Lomax is undertaking a two-month residency at HMP Grendon in Buckinghamshire, funded by the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust.

Racing Thoughts No. 20 – the latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist residence at HMP Grendon.

Ikon are currently recruiting for an Artist in Residence – Art at HMP Grendon.

Racing Thoughts No. 19 – the latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist residence at HMP Grendon.

Racing Thoughts No. 18 – the latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon.

Racing Thoughts No.17 – the latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon.

The latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon.

Ikon presents There is no masterpiece, the first exhibition at the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Studio at HMP Grendon, Buckinghamshire.  

The latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon. “It started with a seemingly insignificant series of e-mail notifications. None of which I responded to. In that lack of response lay the catalyst for a decision to retrace steps and try to find or re-find the roots of what I do. It is no surprise that after 25 years as an educator, 100 miles an hour, week in week out I would feel a sense of loss.”

I had made it a policy from the beginning of the residency to never ask directly about anyone’s reason for being in Grendon. I had never googled them or tried to find any details about them outside of the prison either. For this reason it was easy to interject with certainty and also not react to the list of offences that had been shared. “Who am I to judge anyone here? You’ve been judged, by others…and yourselves. The present is more than the past for me and I prefer to move forward not back.”

The latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon. “George, here is your matcha tea with soya.” I looked up from my screen and walked over to the counter. “Lovely, thanks Sonia.” My regular visits seemed to coincide with Sonia’s shifts and, as I arrived at the counter, she smiled. “You’re always welcome.”

The latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon.   “What is a ‘good’ man? That’s still the question…”

Inside Time, the national newspaper for prisoners and detainees, features a monthly column by Nick London (a pseudonym) giving insight into the therapy undertaken at HMP Grendon. The latest issue demonstrates how Dean Kelland’s artist residency supports therapeutic practice at the prison

The latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon.   “My next thought was not of Mike Nesmith but of Dirk Gently, the cover of my notebook and the interconnectedness of all things.”

The latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon.   “…in one way or another we’ve been wearing masks all our lives.”

The latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon.  

In this interview with Head of Clinical Services, Richard Shuker and Lead Creative Psychotherapist, Jo Augustus, Dean Kelland discusses the role of creative practice, the notion of community and the importance of group work at HMP Grendon in the context of the prison’s radical approach to therapy, which informs the artist residency.

The latest post by Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon.   “How much is too much masculinity?”

By James Latunji-Cockbill, Producer – Art at HMP Grendon

The latest post from By Dean Kelland, Ikon’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon.    “I spent the last week picking up oddly shaped pebbles…”

This month, artist Dean Kelland’s residency at HMP Grendon features in an article in Inside Time written by one of the prison’s residents.