This work illustrates the first sight of the prison the new prisoners would have experienced as they approach Robben Island by boat. Upon arrival, they were made to change into prison clothing in an attempt to strip them of their individuality. Mandela uses bursts of colour to highlight the sea, the last site of the prisoner’s freedom, and the landing strip, the new ground of their incarceration. The work consequently embodies the transformation of the individual subjected to imprisonment through the artistic treatment of island landscape.
