I used to conserve artworks. Now I am in prison for taking climate action | Margaret Reid

It was my dream job. But what's the point of preserving masterpieces for a future being destroyed by fossil fuel companies?

• Margaret Reid is currently on remand for taking action with Just Stop Oil

I used to be part of the art world but I just can't stomach it any more. Now I'm in prison, and it suits my conscience better. Back in the 1980s, art was my life. Aged 16, I fell head over heels for painting and could imagine nothing better than spending my life working in museums.

Looking back almost 40 years, I see my younger self, starstruck in Paris. I'm staring up with awe at Theodore Gericault's The Raft of the Medusa and greedily gobbling up the story of how it scandalised the art world. That sickening green cadaver that almost fell out of the frame had me weeping with admiration. Of course it shocked the critics. They hated the grisly truth: the emaciated corpse that was a direct challenge to government corruption and incompetence.

Margaret Reid is a former museum professional currently on remand for taking action with Just Stop Oil

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