Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Keith Andrews has spent nearly 30 years making art while incarcerated in a state prison.<\/p>\n
It makes sense then that Andrews, 47, focuses on themes of time, isolation, and confinement.<\/p>\n
His painting, Defiant Mercy, is a portrait of a man who is chained to the soil, his face screaming against clouded skies, his knees buried deep in barren fields; there\u2019s a feeling all hope has been lost. But then hands, carrying keys to unlock others in shackles, descend from the same pillowy clouds. They appear to land near everyone except the man at the center of the painting, presumably leaving him in eternal entrapment.<\/p>\n
These realities are all too familiar to Andrews, who was convicted of first degree murder, illegal possession of a firearm, and conspiracy in 2001. He was sentenced to life in prison two years later. <\/p>\n
He has loved art since he was in third grade, growing up in North Philadelphia<\/a>\u2019s Logan neighborhood. But it was when he entered the State Correctional Institution system that Andrews learned to express his loneliness and solitude on canvas, often drawing from his past. <\/p>\n Andrews\u2019 paintings have now escaped the confines of SCI-Phoenix and are on display at the Morton Contemporary Art Gallery<\/a> in Center City<\/a> as part of a new exhibition, titled \u201cThe Weight of Time.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The exhibition includes the work of nine other artists at SCI Phoenix. <\/p>\n The exhibition is co-curated by Andrews and gallerist Debbie Morton, who \u201cinstantly fell in love\u201d with the artist\u2019s work after her friend Eddie Ramirez, an artist who endured 27 years of incarceration <\/a>for a crime he didn\u2019t commit, introduced her to Andrews\u2019 paintings. <\/p>\n Ramirez encouraged her to exhibit Andrews\u2019 work inside her space. The first time was in 2024 as part of the \u201cWe Are All Doing Time\u201d<\/a> exhibit, which featured works centered on prison reform and social justice by six current and formerly incarcerated artists. <\/p>\n The exhibition was in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project<\/a>, and Morton said Andrews\u2019 paintings were standout additions. <\/p>\n \u201cThere was something about the way people responded to [his] work that made it clear there was more to explore,\u201d Morton said. \u201cMore story, more healing, and more conversation to be had.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrews\u2019 paintings and their comment on the nation\u2019s ever-growing carceral crisis inspired Morton to display his work in a more expansive exhibition. And two years later, she made it happen.<\/p>\n \u201cCurating my own art show was a dream of mine I never thought could happen,\u201d Andrews wrote in a series of statements to The Inquirer. \u201cThis entire process has been an honor, and a lot fun.\u201d <\/p>\n Over the course of eight months, Morton called Andrews on the phone and made monthly visits to SCI Phoenix to hash out the exhibition details. <\/p>\n She handled the logistical side of the show, while Andrews worked with his fellow artists to ensure their varied artworks could reflect a unified theme.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was so liberating to see it all come together as one collection,\u201d Andrews said. <\/p>\n The other artists featured in the exhibition include Shelton Ashford, James Green, Charles Harrison, Vincent Hatcher, Charles Lawson, Jose Benesario Nieves, Albert Perez, Felix Wilfredo Rodriguez Jr., and Tom Schilk. Most of them are serving life sentences for convictions that range from attempted to first degree murder and robbery. <\/p>\n The group created nearly 50 paintings, all varying in style and scope; Lawson\u2019s work is defined by its euphoric imagery while a deep sorrow fills Perez\u2019s paintings. <\/p>\n Each artist was guided by their reflections on growing old while incarcerated; what it feels like to miss their child\u2019s birthdays, their loved ones\u2019 funerals, and other milestones. <\/p>\n Next to each artists\u2019 work is a detailed biography, showcasing stories of their lives inside and outside of the carceral system, their educational and artistic pursuits, and in many cases, their fight to appeal their convictions or reduce their sentences. <\/p>\n Harrison, Hatcher, and Green have contributed to dozens of Mural Arts<\/a> projects, and contributors such as Lawson have co-founded nonprofit organizations that support and exhibit the works of other incarcerated artists.<\/p>\n Morton said seeing Andrews carry this project illuminated the power of art as a portal to process pain, grief, and loneliness. And those themes were even clearer once she saw the work Andrews and his band of artists created.<\/p>\n \u201cThis collection communicates that so intensely,\u201d Morton said. \u201cThe work is wildly emotional, and technically so strong. You feel the grief, the weight of time passing inside prison, and the very human hope for a way out.<\/p>\n