Karreenga Prison Murals for Corrections Victoria By Sonsie Studios

Sonsie Studios mural at Karreenga Prison depicting an inmate painting a landscape on a wall

Sonsie Studios mural of a zebra with the number 624 on a wall at Karreenga Prison

Artists painting a tree mural with birds on a prison wall, by Sonsie Studios

Mural by Sonsie Studios showing prisoner drawing tally marks

Sonsie Studios painting a mural of a tree with black branches on a prison wall

Overview

When street art gets locked-up.

Corrections Victoria commissioned these murals for the new Karreenga facility in Lara, Victoria, Australia. They were painted before the doors even opened and the brief was simple but feels anything but simple inside a prison. Humanise this challenging environment and foster a sense of care and thought for prisoners, visitors and employees alike.

His work is not a bold statement about rehabilitation or justice. He just painted work that acknowledges everyone who walks through those doors is still human.

In a place where hope can be pretty hard to come by, the scale and impact of these murals are powerful.