‘The Power of Touch’ is the first London solo exhibition by the Blind Braille Artist, Clarke Reynolds. Known for his creative braille artworks, collections from throughout Clarke’s career will be showcased at Quantus Gallery until 4 February 2023.
The exhibition will feature Clarke’s thoughtful and vibrant braille art, where he uses the tactile language of raised dots to recount his journey as an artist, as well as convey a unique insight into the lived experience of blind and partially sighted people. The art on display includes pieces from the following collections:
- Decoding Braille/Decoding Me: 26 alphabetic works in vibrant colours narrating Clarke’s story.
- Mini Fabs: 18 works in varying colours depicting how Clarke sees things.
- I Spy With My Blurry Eyes: 26 pieces alphabetic works recognising patterns and decoding a word related to Clarke which encourages viewers to learn more about sight loss and gives an insight into how disability is perceived.
- I Miss Colours: A small series created from drawing pins featuring stories from Clarke
- Journey By Dots: The light box centrepiece gives a narrative of how art became Clarke’s light when his world was getting darker. This iconic UV light work features multiple neon-coloured dots and is fully interactive. You can touch and listen to Clarke’s story through his audio guide.
Let the exhibition take you on a tactile journey into Clarke’s mind… Reflect on the rollercoaster of emotions Clarke details through his sight loss journey, discover hidden messages through coded metaphors within the works and laugh with Clarke at his cheeky, prophetic paving slabs, which predict him winning the Turner Prize and appearing on Strictly Come Dancing!
Please DO touch…
Clarke has long insisted his art is accessible to everybody. The braille pieces in The Power of Touch are surrounded by signs reading “Please DO touch”, encouraging children and adults alike to interact with them.
“I hope this exhibition can help to change people’s attitudes of the possibilities of what blind people can achieve. I want to shake up the stereotypical attitude out there towards sight loss and use my work to improve the knowledge about blindness and hopefully how blind people are treated. We are strong, capable, creative and want the sighted to open their eyes to our see this” says Clarke.
Offering a unique insight into Clarke’s art
To allow visitors of the exhibition to connect further with Clarke’s artwork, Vision Foundation loaned the exhibition a set of sight loss “simulation” goggles to show how the art might appear to people with various visual impairments. Although they cannot replicate the experience of a person with sight loss, they can encourage attendees to consider what Clarke, and other blind and partially sighted people, might experience when interacting with the art. These goggles are usually on display in the West Norwood charity shop.
Vision Foundation Chief Executive, Olivia Curno on the news of Clarke’s exhibition: “Everyone at Vision Foundation is thrilled that Clarke’s important artwork is getting the attention it merits. His fundraising efforts and passionate support for the sight loss community is breathtaking. Having a solo London exhibition at the same time as training to run the marathon, on behalf of Vision Foundation, shows Clarke is a force of nature and we couldn’t be more proud to work with him.“
