The Braille artist challenging perceptions of art with first London exhibition

Daniel Henry speaks to artist Clarke Reynolds ahead of his first solo London exhibition

An artist who began losing his sight as a child is inspiring children with his work.

Clarke Reynolds is the UK's first blind Braille artist and has created an exhibition in Shoreditch for both blind and seeing people. 

He says he hopes it might help bring Braille into school curriculums and change perceptions of art.

Mr Reynolds was born with limited sight in his right eye which he eventually lost completely, He was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable eye condition, and later lost his sight in his left eye too.

It was then that he was inspired to become a full-time artist after stumbling upon textiles as a way for visually impaired people to see visual art through sound and touch.

The Power of Touch at the Quantus gallery is his first solo exhibition in London.

The exhibition will feature a variety of his works and encourage people to touch and interact with the pieces.

"I use this form of writing in my artwork trying to push the boundaries of what Braille was intended for using the English language and how we say words there descriptive power and using the dots as a vessel to bring that word to life threw Braille my hope is to highlight visual impairment through my artistic language," he says.

Opening on January 11, visitors to The Power of Touch will wear special glasses where they can sample Mr Reynold’s distinctive braille art in much the same way a blind/partially sighted person would.

The Power of Touch runs from January 11 to February 4 at Quantus gallery, E1