Visually-impaired artist Clarke Reynolds announced as new trustee for Aspex gallery in Portsmouth on World Braille Day

The Gunwharf Quays-based gallery has made the announcement on World Braille Day – January 4. The imaginative and innovative use of Braille is a key element of Clarke’s artworks.

As one of the city’s most prolific visual artists, Reynolds' has overcome immense challenges in his journey to becoming an artist. At just six years old he began to lose the sight in his right eye and was eventually diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable and rare condition that over time damages cells in the retina. Later in his mid-thirties, the sight in his right eye began to deteriorate, and today in his forties, he is registered blind with just five percent vision.

Despite such life-changing conditions, Reynolds' resilience and formidable spirit has seen him become a champion of visually impaired people across the globe, inspiring a new generation of artists to create accessible artwork.

Reynold’s long-standing relationship with Aspex Portsmouth, an art gallery and educational charity, first started during his childhood. It was a school visit with Cottage Grove School to Aspex at its original location on Brougham Road which sparked a creative curiosity in the artist.

This first interaction with contemporary art was a life-changing moment, paving the way for his artistic ambitions and launching an enduring connection to Aspex. Reynolds went on to present his most ambitious solo exhibition to date Journey by Dots at the gallery in April 2022, and continues to be a prominent figure in Portsmouth’s creative and cultural ecology, while growing an international reputation with recent exhibitions and projects in London; Chennai, India; and Tallahassee, United States.

Clarke said: “It feels like Roy of the Rovers stuff. A boy from a council estate in Somers Town, Portsmouth, is now an international artist and a trustee of an organisation that means the world to me.”

Joanne Bushnell, director of Aspex Portsmouth, said: “We are really thrilled to welcome Clarke to the team as a Trustee. Aspex Portsmouth is an educational charity, and Clarke shares our passion for making contemporary visual art accessible to all. Through his life and work he has demonstrated what that access can do for the development of creative aspirations and continues to be an inspiration to us all.”