Mr. Matt Clarke

The Pencil Gallery director and one of the judges, Matt Clarke, said the awards were an exciting time for entrants and selectors alike "The standard was just exceptional," he said.
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Mr Clarke congratulated all the entrants of this year's youth art awards.

"It was a pleasure to hang their works on the walls here, and congratulations to the art teachers as well - they were really cool," said Mr Clarke.

The Pencil Gallery director Matt Clarke said he knew putting graphics of male genitalia where they could be seen by passers-by, rather than upstairs in the gallery proper, would be "pushing things".

"We really just wanted to test the waters and see what would happen if the art was taken down on to the street," he said.

There was a lot of interest from the moment Wellington artist Sanjay Theodore began painting the images and text on the gallery door early Thursday morning, Mr Clarke said.
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"We took that on board and edited them straight away," Clarke said.
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"But we would never have let things get to that stage," Matt Clarke said.

Whatever the artist's purpose, Pencil Gallery directors Matt Clarke and Gene Paul acknowledge that the images, and the text imbedded in some of the works, may shock.
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"We are committed to supporting Sanjay as an artist," Clarke said.

"John was a mentor to us in the early deve-lopment and conceptual stages of the gallery, where we have represented him in several exhibitions," said Pencil Gallery co-owner Matt Clarke.
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The idea for the show was seeded soon after Bevan Ford's death and had attracted works by the artist's friends and colleagues, who had also been influenced by him throughout their lives, Clarke said.
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"We feel this is a show that will not only attract national and international audiences, but will also establish numerous other recognised artists in Gisborne," Clarke said.

A collaboration between The Pencil Gallery and Upper Hutt's Expressions Arts and Entertainment Centre - of which Matt Clarke is curator - Persona will be launched in Gisborne on June 5 before travelling to Upper Hutt where it will reopen on August 15.

ARTS administrator Matt Clarke is heeding the call of the coast and giving up his job in Wellington to return to his hometown of Gisborne.

Currently curator at Upper Hutt's Expressions Arts and Entertainment Centre, Clarke has in recent years maintained his links by, with business partner Gene Purvis, setting up and developing city-centre venue The Pencil Gallery.