Nicole Farhi, the fashion designer turned sculptor, continues to shed light on historical wrongful convictions through her ongoing series of bust sculptures. Her project, which began with the J’Accuse... exhibition staged last year in London and Edinburgh, features 25 cast ciment fondu busts representing individuals who were miscarried by justice over the past 125 years.

Farhi’s work initially included figures such as Andrew Malkinson, who was released after serving 17 years for a rape conviction that was later overturned in 2023. Since then, she has expanded the collection to incorporate other notable cases, including the sub-postmistress Jo Hamilton, and men wrongly convicted of murder such as Peter Sullivan, Oscar Slater, and Oliver Campbell.

The newest addition to the series is a bust of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom. The sculpture was unveiled last week at the law firm Mishcon de Reya, which played a key role in representing Ellis’s grandchildren. The family successfully sought a posthumous conditional pardon for Ellis, more than seven decades after her execution.

Farhi’s sculptures serve as a reminder of the human suffering caused by wrongful convictions and underscore ongoing concerns around justice and legal redress in the UK. The exhibition and its growing roster of figures highlight both historical and contemporary failures in the criminal justice system, drawing public attention to the need for continued scrutiny and reform.