Prison artist John Costi – from armed robbery to London gallery

John Costi had an unconventional journey into the art world.

After serving just over 3 years for armed robbery, he found solace in a programme which allowed him to follow his creative passion.

While still behind bars, he submitted work to a competition run by the UK’s largest prison arts charity – Koestler.

More than a decade later, he’s co-curating their annual exhibition at London’s South Bank Centre, alongside the Turner prize winner Jeremy Deller.

We went to meet them at the show – entitled No Comment.