A graffiti artist has been commissioned to brighten up the inside of a Finnish prison for the first time, BBC reports.

Vantaa prison in Helsinki, made an aggreement with the street artist EGS to adorn both internal spaces and the prison yard with brightly coloured abstract graffiti works. The cost of the work is being met by the Finnish State Art Commission. EGS says he wanted his work to have universal appeal, as half of the inmates have a foreign background. "I wanted to do abstract paintings which don't have anything recognisable, and where anyone can find some symbolic meaning," he tells the paper, adding that he took inspiration from the sea and islands. The artist says he got "a few thumbs-up and hurrays" on arrival in the yard, but notes with amusement that it could have been more about him showing up with a crane.

Prison director Tuomo Junkkari says the artwork "kick-starts various thoughts and feelings" among inmates after months of staring at grey walls. For more information please visit here.