Matt Small's Seen and Heard Supports SHP

Between 3 and 15 September Gallery Different  in the heart of Fitzrovia showcased artist and SHP supporter Matt Small.

His exhibition ‘Seen and Heard’ was the culmination of his work with young people in SHP’s Urban Art Workshops and included his innovative portraits as well as graffiti pieces created by young workshop participants.

Matt has been working in partnership with SHP since 2008, “My work has always been about giving young people a presence and visibility,” he said, “It is really a meeting of myself and SHP; it’s all about taking people out of the shadows and giving people a hand and that’s what SHP does.”

Gallery Different Director Karina Philips said, “Matt’s work is really exciting, visually interesting and innovative. But above all, Matt’s work is very accessible to anyone and about very important concepts. Our first show with him, Street Life, was about artists reacting to their environment and that’s what Matt does."

“I wanted other people to see [my environment] in a positive light and to represent where I’m from. It’s really important... people only hear about it in a negative, grotesque way,” said Matt.

This was not only a successful exhibition by an SHP supporter, but Matt Small and Cindy Lass, showing ‘Everyone Has a Right to Blossom’ at the gallery, both agreed to donate 20% of any sales to SHP. Both artists were humble about their generosity because they felt it was what they were all about.

Though they both come from London and are devoted to raising support for those often forgotten, Cindy and Matt direct their attention to two different Londons.

Cindy works with celebrities, such as Sir Elton John and the Beckmans, to encourage them to donate to charity by using the sales from commissioned ‘pawtraits’ to support animal shelters.

Born in Camden, Matt works to put a light on those that are often unseen and to empower them to a better future. These complementary approaches make the exhibition a powerful force for raising awareness about youth that have the right to blossom and need access to support to get them there. This is a cause that SHP can support wholeheartedly.

If you missed the exhibition, you can view a selection of images in our online gallery.