I was a Prisoner and You Came to Me

Multi-media drawings by Yuri Kadamov

Sept 28 - Nov 8, 2023
 

Opening Reception:
First Friday Gallery Walk, October 6, 5-8pm
 Special music provided by The Abysinnia Trio (Rick Maxwell, Steve Mascari & Joe Donnelly)

​

Yuri Kadamov (Jurijus Kadamovas) is a Lithuanian citizen of Russian descent, born on October 22, 1966. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death on March 7, 2007, and has been in solitary confinement since his incarceration in 2003. Yuri draws his strength and maintains his sanity though his artistic expression. See more of Yuri's artwork here.

 

The primary benefit of practicing any art, whether well or badly, is that it enables one’s soul to grow. ~ Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

 

Artist’s Statement:

I am a Lithuanian citizen under a sentence of death for crimes I did not commit, as the result of an unfair trial replete with false testimony and misleading arguments. My case is currently on appeal. I am the only citizen of any European Union nation to be on U.S. federal death row. I have been in solitary confinement since March 2003.

The damage inflicted by solitary confinement cannot be undone or reversed, but a remedy for this form of torture must be provided. Albert Camus wrote that no one could imagine a more cold-blooded, premeditated murder than to hold a man in a solitary cell for years, and then on a certain date, at a certain time, take him out of that cell and kill him. Read more here.

​

Part of the proceeds from the sale of artwork in this exhibit will go towards purchasing art supplies so Yuri can work with other prisoners who will experience healing through creative and healthy self-expression.

 

​

Related Event:
The Spiritual Cost of Capital Punishment*
A Conversation on the Death Penalty, Art, and Prisoners in Indiana

​

Tuesday Oct 10 (World Day Against the Death Penalty)
5:00-7pm (Free and Open to All)

​

Featuring:
● Rev. Bill Breeden - UU Pastor, witness to federal executions
● Margaret O’Donnell - Longtime Death Row Lawyer from Frankfort, KY
● Ross E Martinie Eiler - Bloomington Catholic Worker
● Laura LaSuertmer - Common Home Farm, and Women Writing for a Change

​

*This talk coincides with federal Death Row prisoner Yuri Kadamov’s art exhibit, “I Was a Prisoner & You Came to Me,” on display at Juniper Art Gallery through November 8, 2023.

Masks are suggested, but not required.