AN EXTRAORDINARY exhibition by a man on death row has made its way from Arkansas, across the Atlantic, and to the heart of Dorset in Bridport. Jessica Rees talks to human rights barrister Samantha Knights to find out why.

STARK and haunting images of inmates, hanging ropes and electric chairs now line the walls of Bridport Arts Centre in west Dorset.

Bringing the message of Kenny Reams – a man who has been in an Arkansas jail on death row since 1993 – to Bridport, was the brainchild of human rights barrister Samantha Knights from Shute.

She is the powerful link across thousands of miles and for one reason – her unwavering belief in a fair justice system.

Her relationship with Kenny is so unique, you can’t help but wonder how and why a barrister from Shute ended up organising an exhibition about death row in Bridport.

There's a curious fascination with crime and death row.

With documentaries like Making a Murderer, West of Memphis and Piers Morgan even visiting inmates on death row to interview them – the intrigue of murder, motives and crime continues to capture an audience and pose questions about justice.

Who Decides, which opened last Saturday, has already moved a Bridport audience at its opening and is set to continue to do so until November 24.

Samantha first met Kenny in 2000. Her work on his legal case through legal charity Amicus culminated with a prison visit to meet the man who was sentenced to death when he was 18.

Samantha said: “In 2000 I was working as an Amicus intern in New York and was working with an attorney on Kenny Ream’s appeal.

“I did a lot of research for it and as part of that I went to Arkansas with a private investigator.

“The argument was that Kenny didn’t have a fair trial. I went to the prison where he was detained and got to speak to him.

“After that we kept in touch through letters and email and he started working on art. He gave me a list of what art materials to send him that would be let into the prison.”

Kenny was raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, by a 15-year-old single mother with mental health issues in a household with alcohol and substance abuse.

He left home at 13 and at the age of 18, in 1993, he was arrested with a friend in connection with a cashpoint robbery in which the victim was shot dead by a single bullet. It was found that Kenny was not the shooter but he was sentenced to death after standing trial.

Samantha began to send Kenny materials from England for him to draw with in solitary confinement.

She said: “He didn’t have a great start in life and fell into a wrong crowd.

“But in prison he had time to do art.”

In the summer of 2014 Samantha received a call from Kenny. He told her that an exhibition of his art was opening in Arkansas. It was an extraordinary achievement.

She said: “I spoke to Kenny and he told me there was going to be an art exhibition in America and I said to him we should definitely try to get it to come to the UK.

“From there we got an anonymous sponsor to help bring the art here and I’m really thrilled.”

Samantha said she thought Bridport Arts Centre would be the perfect venue for the exhibition.

She said: “For me, Bridport was an obvious venue. I absolutely love Bridport Arts Centre. It’s a wonderful venue and it’s so important to have a community art space and the exhibition come here.

“Everyone I have spoken to has been so interested. I’m really thrilled it has all come together. There was the costs, customs, issues and so much to sort out. I’m not an arts organiser but the art is here and it’s a great achievement.”

Who Decides covers more than 400 years of US death penalty history and has more than 50 works in the collection. It’s part of a series for Art for Amicus and one of many exhibitions of artwork by artists awaiting execution across the US.

Samantha has been speaking to Kenny over the phone in the lead up to the exhibition.

She said: “He’s in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. Sometimes the privilege of an hour outside the cell is withdrawn.

“For Kenny, the art exhibition isn’t about him. It’s about the wider world and the death row phenomenon. It’s about the racial bias and need for adequate defence and the history of death row.

“It has given him a reason for living in what is a really tough and hard system.”

Samantha said an appeal against Kenny’s case has still not been heard – for 16 years.

Samantha said: “It’s hard to imagine that time. But the art has given him something to focus on.

“For me, writing letters mean an enormous amount to someone on death row and keeping in touch.

“He never asked. It was something I wanted to do. The fundamental important thing to me as a lawyer is justice. It underpins every strong justice system in the world.

“Right from when I started working on his case the issues were something I felt very strongly about.”

She said: “This exhibition will make a small but important contribution to an ongoing conversation in the US and here in the wider world. It’s part of our history as well.

“The fact that one of the artists is on death row himself and has produced his work in solitary confinement makes it all the more poignant.”

*Who Decides is showing now at Bridport Arts Centre until Thursday, November 24 and is open from 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday. On Wednesday, November 16, Samantha Knights is hosting a free walking tour of the exhibition from 11am to 12pm.