artsaveslives.co.uk

The Directors

Dean Stalham

 

DEAN STALHAM: DIRECTOR.

My name is Dean Stalham, I am 46 years of age and I am a writer and an artist. I also happen to have been in prison on a number of occasions, but offering up that information to you is my choice and should be my choice only. Society has no right to label me an ex offender artist and writer as it unashamedly does. It is I believe against my human rights, it marginalises me and socially excludes me. It raises preconceptions and leads people into thinking about my past and what I’ve done as opposed to what I do now and of what I’m about today. I’m a family man, trying to do his very best, that’s all.

 I left school when I was fifteen and was bought up on three of North West London’s worst council estates. I was born into one of the area’s largest crime families and soon entered into the family business, alas I couldn’t break the cycle and ended up in prison on three occasions, serving 6 years between the years of 1994 and 2006.

 It was during my last sentence that my life changed and it changed because I let art into it. It literally hit me like a bolt of lightening. I was taking an art course in HMP WANDSWORTH when I was asked to submit a painting for an exhibition at the London Assembly Rooms, cousin to the GHERKIN. My painting of MICKEY MOUSE no less, left the prison, transcended the walls and made its way onto the wall. Of course I couldn’t attend, I still owed the Queen two years but my family could. They all went along and had a jolly old time on the free wine and canapés. I phoned my Brother the next day to ask him how it went? ‘Bruv’ he said, ‘There’s something in your art, something about it, there were people standing around looking at it, whispering and then a red dot went up onto it’ meaning of course that somebody had bought it. What struck me then and has stayed with me ever since is that art is all about communication, about getting people talking and reacting, To evoke feelings and passions.

MY NAME IS DEAN STALHAM AND I AM A WRITER AND AN ARTIST! ART SAVED MY LIFE. IT MIGHT SAVE YOURS?

 

Missing Mum, hum drum, half eaten yum yum,

full throttle hit the bottle end up running away to Gerry Cottle,

jubilation for the nation, free education,

no knowledge no college, no school, un cool,

less thrills on tall hills no apple pies on window sills,

love that cat, not the one in the hat, love that mouse,

rat rat no chance me getting fat, sound sound gissa pound?

Police charge, Geordie sarge, worst smell urine cell,

wino fight, endless night, tramp rape,

drawn drape, dumb dumb slum come.

Push ya rush ya diss ya Hare bloody Krishna,

ring ring, ding ding dong dong head gone,

 Contact Dean:  dean@artsaveslives.co.uk