Artangel's Inside Exhibition Transforms Reading Prison with Oscar Wilde-Inspired Works

From September 4 to December 4, 2016, "Inside: Artists and Writers in Reading Prison" was showcased by Artangel at HM Prison Reading, drawing inspiration from Oscar Wilde's imprisonment from 1895 to 1897 and his letter De Profundis. Over the course of seven Sundays, performances included six-hour readings of De Profundis by various actors, artists, and writers. Peter Dreher exhibited more than 5,000 paintings of water glasses. Doris Salcedo's work, Plegaria Muda, addressed themes of gang violence and unmarked graves of inmates. Footage from Jean Genet's Un chant d'amour and Wilde's Salomé was presented by Nan Goldin. Jean-Michel Pancin's In Memoriam showcased a concrete slab resembling Wilde's cell, while Robert Gober displayed torso sculptures, and Wolfgang Tillmans presented distorted self-portraits. The prison, established in 1786, became a county gaol in 1793, with the existing structure completed in 1844.