Worldwide, prisons are ‘home’ to more than 9 million people, and their numbers will only increase over the coming decades. But what do our various societies seek to accomplish by  locking up such massive numbers of offenders? From 18 February through 8 April, in Cruel and Unusual, Noorderlicht Photogallery presents revealing, and quite unexpected photography dealing with life behind bars. For this exhibition the guest curators Hester Keijser and Pete Brook have brought together work by eleven women photographers, most of which has never before been shown in Europe.

Cruel and Unusual  looks at how the prison system is presented in images, and how these images are created, distributed and consumed. How do citizens – tax payers and empathetic humans – come to an understanding of life in prisons on the basis of the information – politicized or not – which they receive? Cruel and Unusual takes a startling and sometimes disconcerting look behind various prison walls around the world. Each photographer confronts her viewers in her own way with the following question : how do current practices of mass incarceration reflect our changing sense of decency and justice ?

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

The title of the exhibition refers to the English Bill of Rights from 1689 and the Eighth Amendment to the America constitution, which stipulates that citizens must not be subject to  ‘cruel and unusual punishment’. But when is punishment cruel and unusual? To assist in the public discussion of this issue, photography helps by providing insight into the various facets play a role in the question.