About the Exhibition

Prison‘s Paper Trail is a retrospective of sculptures by the self-taught artist Marvin Francis that allows the viewer an insight into the artist‘s life from the inside. Incarcerated in the Kentucky State Penitentiary since 1986, Francis reveals not only a deep awareness of his imprisoned life, but also projects back into the past as he exhibits a hopeful yearning into the future. Using only the limited materials of toilet paper, wood, glue, and acrylic paint, he allows the viewer a glimpse of the political issues of capital punishment, the infrequent satirical humor of prison life, and faith in the power of memory and redemption. Being a child-abuse survivor, his work is meant for a personal healing process and a universal enlightenment – ultimately, it is a symbol for a sense of atonement and shows the triumph of the human soul.