Bulgarian television presenter Vladimir Karamazov photographed stray cats on Belene Island, home to Bulgaria's most secure prison, as part of a year-long project documenting life among inmates, many of whom are serving life sentences without parole. The image reflects a poignant detail from his time inside: prisoners once adopted stray kittens as pets, but this has now been banned after cats and even nurtured flowers became targets for revenge attacks between inmates, denying prisoners any lasting attachments.

Karamazov, a well-known actor who has hosted the Bulgarian versions of Survivor and The Traitors, spent a year gaining access to the prison for his book For the Grace of God, living alongside prisoners and hearing their stories. He said he initially feared inmates serving sentences without parole, only to discover he had unknowingly spent two days with one, a man serving a 26-year term, before being told the truth. When exhibited at the National Gallery in Sofia, the work reportedly moved viewers to tears, prompting many to see prisoners as fellow human beings for the first time rather than simply people the public wishes were dead.