THE BLOODY CODE: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN LAW AND ART
2025 marks the 60th anniversary of The Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act of 1965, which abolished capital punishment for murder in Great Britain and replaced the death penalty with a mandatory sentence of imprisonment for life. For this year’s London Open House Festival, Art Responders has curated an exhibition commemorating the history of capital punishment and the international drive for abolition.
Below is a list of resources for further exploration of this vital and internationally significant issue.
Capital Punishment in America:
Elizabeth Bruenig: Inside America’s Death Chambers
Elizabeth Bruenig: A Year of Botched Executions
Elizabeth Bruenig: ‘I Need This to Be a Homicide’
Lawrence Wright: The Nuns Trying to Save the Women on Texas’ Death Row
Daniel LaChance: How Black Mirror Exposes the Racist Reality of the Death Penalty in America
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs: Black Prisoners Face Higher Rates of Botched Executions, Study Finds
Jennifer Gonnerman: An Investigation into How Prosecutors Picked Death Penalty Juries
Artists’ Responses to Capital Punishment:
Dead Wrong (Center for the Study of Political Graphics): Selected works from this exhibition are featured as part of “The Bloody Code”.
Abolition and Advocacy Organisations:
The Death Penalty Project: Works everywhere the death penalty is imposed.
Amnesty International: International human rights organisation that opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception.
Reprieve: Legal action non-governmental organisation fighting human rights abuses
Amicus: UK organisation fighting for death row prisoners in the US
If you’re interested in contributing to the exhibition coming to Barbican Library in 2026, please contact director@artresponders.com.