By ALAN PERROTT
He stands quietly for a few minutes, peering over the bowed heads of a tight group of young men, deciding whether to join in.
A tattooed man looks up and points to a chair. "Go hard, man."
Smiling, he selects a yellow pastel and adds his own flourish to a colourful banner. This is art Paremoremo-style.
Auckland Prison's art class has been running for seven years - one part therapy, two parts something to do, but mostly a chance to uncover hidden talents.
The 30-odd group gathers in a poky room without a view.
After Samoan and Maori prayers, artists get to work while an inmate provides mood music on an old guitar.
Only one of those working on the banner has been inside an art gallery.
The banner will form part of the group's fourth exhibition of paintings, drawings, carvings and burnings at Artstation in Ponsonby Rd.
The idea of strangers studying their art in a gallery invokes pride, nervousness and slight embarrassment.
"It's the usual story," says one inmate. "No one ever thinks his work is any good, but the guys always back you up and support your stuff."
The 2 1/2-hour Friday classes have become the highlight of his week.
"There's the satisfaction of finishing something, especially when you send it home. They're blown away because they've never seen me do stuff like this before."
Home is where most of the art ends up. Inmates are not allowed to hang pictures on their cell walls, although the best are displayed in the class.
A quietly spoken young man is hoping his wife and son will travel up from Tauranga for the show.
"I've never shown her my work, but I've done a portrait of them which is in the exhibition. I get a bit jittery when people look at my stuff, but I hope she can make it."
He has only been painting for a year, but hopes his new skills will lead to a career on the outside.
"I've found out a lot about myself through this class. When I started I was worried most of the time, mostly about what people would think, but there's a lot of support here. It's all good, so I'd like to stick with it, for sure."
Class tutor Robyn Hughes, an Auckland artist and lecturer at Elam School of Fine Arts, says the inmate's development is typical.
"It's amazing how these talents unveil themselves. But once you get over the physical nature of this place, it's just a group of artists making art. It's the same process no matter where you are, these guys have just had fewer opportunities."
Her only restriction is a ban on gang emblems.
The prison runs several classes such as cultural groups, drug and alcohol rehabilitation and anger management.
The show, Kotahitanga, Tu'ufa'atasi (unity in Maori and Samoan), runs until December 9.
Inmates colour world with paintings
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