Portrait of a lag (kitchen)

Here, Fomison depicts an 'old lag' – British prison slang for a long-time convict – as a saint. He was inspired by the 17th century Franscesco Ribalta painting Christ Embracing Saint Bernard, in which Ribalta bathers Bernard in holy golden light.

Fomison paintined this while serving a six-week sentence in Christchurch's Rolleston Prison for drug-related offences. Upward light and a calm experssion make his fellow prisoner appear almost holy, challenging us to look again at those categorised as 'other' – and perhaps see unlikely heroes in unexpected places.

– Dr Chelsea Nichols, 2018