Ikon Gallery

Ikon Gallery Contemporary art gallery in Birmingham with free entry. Exhibitions, events, off-site projects.
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05/09/2026

It's the final weekend to see our Break The Mould and Angela de la Cruz: UPRIGHT exhibitions!

Break The Mould brings together leading ceramicists and contemporary artists who challenge traditional boundaries of craft.

UPRIGHT brings together key sculptures, installations and paintings that explore de la Cruz’s deep concern with the human body, vulnerability and the physical realities of everyday survival.

Our galleries will be closed from Monday 7 September, and re-open for our next exhibition Balraj Khanna: Lines of Flight, on display from Wednesday 30 September.

Plan your visit here: https://tinyurl.com/2wvrh6ye

Applications are now open for Ikon’s Winter Craft Market! Our market takes place this year on Thursday 3 December, 5-8pm...
03/09/2026

Applications are now open for Ikon’s Winter Craft Market!

Our market takes place this year on Thursday 3 December, 5-8pm.

If you are an independent maker, crafter or artist of any form based in the West Midlands, we encourage you to apply. The cost for a stall is £30.

Application deadline: Wednesday 30 September, 12pm.

Successful applicants will be notified by Wednesday 7 October.

Apply here: https://tinyurl.com/yxy622jz

02/09/2026

Nur’s focus on...Still Life with Table by Angela de la Cruz

This artwork is made up of a black canvas roughly stretched over collapsed domestic furniture. This striking piece was one of her first works to address volume, mass and weight.

See Still Life with Table at our UPRIGHT exhibition, on display until Sunday 6 September

Plan your visit here: https://tinyurl.com/y82kd69z

Last chance to see our Break The Mould and Angela de la Cruz: UPRIGHT exhibitions, on display at Ikon until Sunday 6 Sep...
31/08/2026

Last chance to see our Break The Mould and Angela de la Cruz: UPRIGHT exhibitions, on display at Ikon until Sunday 6 September.

If you are unable to visit in person, you can explore the exhibitions with our virtual 3D visits on the website.

You can also browse our Bloomberg Connects guides for an extra insight into the artists, their artwork, and a curator's view, by scanning QR codes throughout the gallery or heading to our website.

Photography by Tom Bird.

Plan your visit or browse the virtual guides here: https://tinyurl.com/2wvrh6ye

29/08/2026

Sue's Focus on...'Deritend Revival' by Mark Essen

In his work Deritend Revival, Mark Essen revisits the pottery produced in Birmingham from the 12th to 14th centuries.

Reimagining the historic Deritend jug within the aesthetic of street art in Digbeth, the work connects Birmingham’s medieval past with the vibrant creative culture of the area today.

See Deritend Revival in our Break The Mould exhibition, on display until Sunday 6 September.

Read Ikon's interview with Mark Essen here: https://tinyurl.com/3kx98emb

This week marks the final week to view Donald Locke: Resistant Forms at Camden Arts CentreThis retrospective exhibition ...
27/08/2026

This week marks the final week to view Donald Locke: Resistant Forms at Camden Arts Centre

This retrospective exhibition includes early ceramics that evoke human and natural forms to mixed-media sculptures and monochromatic black paintings from the 1970s. Also included are several large-scale paintings from the 1990s that incorporate found images along with ceramic, metal and wood elements.

Organised by Ikon in collaboration with Spike Island, Bristol and Camden Art Centre, London with support from the Estate of Donald Locke. The exhibition is generously supported by The Ampersand Foundation, Henry Moore Foundation, the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, Alison Jacques and the Estate of Donald Locke.

Open Wednesday-Sunday, 11am-6pm

Photography by Rob Harris

Free entry and open to all, plan your visit here: https://tinyurl.com/mpaf425k

Looking to fill the time before Summer comes to a close? Here are some upcoming events to look forward to for all ages!F...
26/08/2026

Looking to fill the time before Summer comes to a close? Here are some upcoming events to look forward to for all ages!

Family Play with Clay Day
Experiment with clay and contribute your own unique creation to a temporary display in the exhibition.
Thursday 27 August, 11am - 3pm

Upright Piano Performance
A live activation of Angela de la Cruz’s Upright Piano in our gallery space.
Friday 28 August, 2.30 - 3pm

Final Week to see our Break The Mould and UPRIGHT exhibitions
Tuesday 1 - Sunday 6 September

Family Saturday with Ikon Youth Programme
Create your own cyanotype prints using light and everyday objects.
Saturday 5 September, 11am - 3pm

A Small Bit of Earth Performance
A closing ritual that sits alongside Roo Dhissou’s residency at Ikon Gallery and Heal, Home, Hmmm.
Saturday 5 September, 2 - 3pm

Retired Youth Showcase
A sneak preview of RETIRED YOUTH: The Pilot Episode by artist Alice Theobald and Ikon Youth Programme.
Saturday 5 - Sunday 6 September, 11am - 5pm

A friendly reminder that we are also open this Bank Holiday Monday 31 August, 11am – 5pm

Events are free and open to all, plan your visit here: https://tinyurl.com/2wvrh6ye

25/08/2026

During Healing Arts Birmingham this Summer, Ikon was proud to facilitate a conversation with Vanley Burke and Pat Noxolo.

Vanley Burke is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in Black British photography. Professor Pat Noxolo, Chair in Postcolonial Geographies at the University of Birmingham, brings a complementary perspective to Burke's work.

This discussion, hosted by Ikon's Public Health Research Officer Regan McDonald, offers insight into Burke’s life and practice, including the thinking, relationships and experiences that have shaped his work.

This event was co-organised with the University of Birmingham’s Culture Forward Initiative, and supported by Arts Council England for Healing Arts Birmingham (HABrum), a week-long festival co-led by Birmingham City Council and the Jameel Arts & Health Lab.

Watch the full conversation here: https://tinyurl.com/yd7mtyjz

Did you know that just 10 minutes of drawing can reset your nervous system? ⁠⁠Research shows drawing can help reduce str...
22/08/2026

Did you know that just 10 minutes of drawing can reset your nervous system? ⁠
⁠
Research shows drawing can help reduce stress by simply focusing on what you see in front of you, acting as an easy way to meditate. ⁠
⁠
Why not visit Ikon with pencil and paper at the ready, draw our current exhibitions for some creative meditation, and be sure to share your works of art with us! ⁠

Plan your visit here: https://tinyurl.com/2wvrh6ye

21/08/2026

James’ Focus on...Transfer with Armchair by Angela de la Cruz

In this artwork, de la Cruz leaves a trace of the volume of her body suspended between two poles.

The elegant white installation reflects an eternal moment of waiting, when one is unable to do anything and necessarily depends on others.

See Transfer with Armchair alongside Angela’s other works at our UPRIGHT exhibition until Sunday 6 September.

Address

1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace
Birmingham
B12HS

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+441212480708

Website

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