The True Artist Breaks Out of Jail Book Launch
Ben Okri and Rosemary Clunie join Hans Ulrich Obrist for a reading and conversation celebrating their new book, The True Artist Breaks Out of Jail, followed by a book signing.
“There comes a time in the life of every artist when they must decide whether they are happy in jail. They must decide whether to attain freedom and risk the life out there.” – Ben Okri
The True Artist Breaks Out of Jail combines fiction, essays and poetry by Booker Prize-winning author Ben Okri with artworks made in collaboration with painter Rosemary Clunie. Bringing text and image into dialogue, the book considers the role of imagination in a world in urgent need of renewal. As personal freedoms and political rights become increasingly restricted, Okri and Clunie invite readers to push past imposed limitations both as creatives and as individuals.
Featuring thirty-two paintings, The True Artist Breaks Out of Jail speaks to the creative in all of us and brings together narratives and images that respond to subjects ranging from war and climate change to authenticity, truth and the psyche. Together, they explore the nature of art, imagination and the human spirit.
Following a reading by Okri, the conversation will explore the inspirations behind the book, its wider themes and the creative collaboration between Okri and Clunie, as well as the relationship between text, image and the act of making.
Artist Bios
Sir Ben Okri is a Booker Prize-winning novelist, acclaimed essayist, poet and playwright. His books have been translated into twenty-eight languages and he has won numerous international prizes, including the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Africa, the Aga Khan Prize for Fiction and the Chianti Ruffino-Antico Fattore.
Rosemary Clunie is a painter, printmaker, video artist, illustrator and children’s book writer. She has exhibited widely since 1991, including at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the 2022 British Art Fair and 2024 Venice Biennale. Her paintings are held in private and public collections.
