Published: March 2026

Keywords:
Visual expression, Diavata prison, reintegration, empowerment, Prison system, Second Chance School (SCS), Art in prison.

Ariadne Pediotaki

Ariadne Pediotaki is a visual artist based in Thessaloniki. She holds an Integrated Master’s degree in Visual Arts from the Department of Visual and Applied Arts (Fine Arts) at the University of Western Macedonia, Florina, with an IKY excellence scholarship. She has attended bookbinding and photography seminars. She is currently enrolled in the Interdepartmental Postgraduate Program "Art and Public Sphere" of the Departments of Visual and Applied Arts and Political Science at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She has worked as a visual arts educator for women and children and has conducted volunteer empowerment workshops in visual arts for students at the Diavata Prison School. Since 2020, she has been active as a freelance photographer and bookbinder in the handmade artistic bookbinding project, Shy O editions, and undertakes the graphic design of photography books, self-publications, and custom notebooks. In her visual arts practice, she alternates between extroverted forms, such as interactive installations and collective actions in public space, and more introverted, reflective forms, such as photography and the creation of photographic and visual arts books.

Email: ariadne.pediotaki@gmail.com

Anastasia Tsalpatourou

She works as a visual artist, a self-employed ceramist, and an educator focused on supporting sensory play for children and parents. She has been active in Thessaloniki and Athens since 2015. She is a graduate of the School of Fine Arts of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki from the Sculpture Laboratory (2022) and a candidate graduate of the Interdepartmental Postgraduate Program "Art and Public Sphere" at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. As a visual artist, she has participated in various group exhibitions such as the Procession Project at Picap, Thessaloniki (2024), in the Inspired Project "DREAM ARCHIVES" at MoΜus, Experimental Centre for the Arts Thessaloniki (2021), and implemented, in collaboration with the adult reintegration department of KETHEA ITHACA, the visual arts workshop "TechnisThoughts" (2019).

Email: tsalpatourouanastasia@gmail.com

Abstract

This paper refers to the visual arts workshops that were implemented within the framework of the 3rd Second Chance School of Thessaloniki, at the Diavata Detention Centre. Through an experiential approach to visual arts practice, it examines how art can function as a means of empowerment and the reclamation of prisoners' identity within a strict correctional framework. The workshop methodology focused on creating a "safe space" for expression, where the visual language allowed the trainees to process experiences, emotions, and expectations, creating "cracks of freedom" in the daily life of confinement. Grounded in the belief that artistic creation fosters self-agency and psychological resilience, the intervention aimed to strengthen students' autonomy by providing them with tools to reshape their personal narratives. This paper was originally presented at the Conference of the Systemic Society of Northern Greece (SEVE) in November 2022.