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

Ikon Gallery

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Contemporary art gallery in Birmingham with free entry. Exhibitions, events, off-site projects.
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14/10/2026

Looking for something creative to do as we enter the colder months?
Join Ikon and Pri Pri for two hands-on workshops to get into the festive spirit.

Inspired by founder Priya’s childhood memories of sewing with her resourceful grandmother, Pri Pri gives new life to textiles, while supporting a charity in India that empowers women through tailoring training and skills development.

Upcycled Sari Bell Garland Workshop
11am-12.15pm

Upcycled Sari Wreath Workshop
1-3.30pm

Saturday 14 November
£30, booking essential.

Book your place here: https://tinyurl.com/2wvrh6ye

Shop the new Pri Pri collection in-store or online.

13/10/2026

Ikon presents Locations, an ongoing No11 Arts research and learning programme exploring how older people connect with the places where they live, their memories of those places, and their communities.

Commissioned by Birmingham City Council’s Older People Team, No11 Arts brought its network of Local Arts Forums (LAFs) together with artists and older residents across five Birmingham neighbourhoods: Kingstanding, Alum Rock, Sparkbrook, Aston and Weoley Castle.

Through creative workshops, participants shared memories, experiences and ideas about how their neighbourhoods have changed. The resulting works span drawing, painting, embroidery, collage, clay, print and craft, reflecting both the pleasures and challenges of local life.

Locations has been organised by No11 Arts with support from Birmingham Settlement, Saheli Hub, Arts in the Yard, Ashiana Community Project, Arts Forum Selly Oak, Active Arts Erdington Arts Forum, Azadi Trust, Go Women Alliance CIC, Grosvenor Studio and New Hope Global and has been funded by Birmingham City Council Public Health.

Join us for the Launch event
Wednesday 28 October, 11am-1pm
Free drop-in

Locations is on display from 28 October – 5 November.

Plan your visit here: https://tinyurl.com/p982as8v

12/10/2026

✨Festive Parties at Ikon Gallery✨

Bring colleagues, clients, friends or family together for a memorable festive celebration in one of Birmingham’s most distinctive venues.

Ikon Gallery’s ground floor reception space blends striking contemporary design with beautiful Victorian architecture, creating a relaxed and inspiring setting for festive gatherings.

The open-plan reception area flows seamlessly into Medicine Bakery at Ikon Gallery, complete with a fully licensed bar, comfortable seating areas and a heated outdoor terrace, offering the perfect backdrop for a stylish seasonal celebration.

Now taking bookings here: https://tinyurl.com/mr73kfux

First image taken by Tegen Kimbley
Second image taken by Tod Jones

10/10/2026

This weekend is the last chance to see Future Heritage!

Ending on Sunday 11 October, Future Heritage is a vibrant exhibition showcasing artwork by KS1-4 students from Ark’s five Birmingham schools: Ark Boulton, Ark Kings, Ark St Alban’s, Ark Tindal and Ark Victoria.

students worked alongside artists Nikki Gandy, Jo Gane, Nessa Grimes and Hazel Tomlinson through a series of in-school residencies, experimenting with new techniques, ideas and approaches to making.⁠ ⁠

Free entry and open to all ages.⁠

Don't miss Balraj Khanna: Lines of Flight, also on display in Ikon's main galleries until 21 February 2027.

Plan your visit here: https://tinyurl.com/4fxwxxmw

09/10/2026

We're delighted to see the full artist line-up for Bangkok Art Biennale 2026 announced today.

A special congratulations to all the selected artists, and to our Artistic Director (Exhibitions), Melanie Pocock, who was part of the international judging panel.

We're particularly pleased to see artists with connections to Ikon included in this major international exhibition.

We look forward to following as it unfolds in Bangkok.

08/10/2026

As part of Birmingham Literature Festival, we are taking a look at books connected to our current exhibition Balraj Khanna: Lines of Flight!⁠
⁠
Balraj Khanna: Lines of Flight official exhibition catalogue⁠
A fully illustrated monograph curated and organised by Ikon Gallery.⁠
⁠
Sam Dalrymple - Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia⁠
The story of how the map of modern Asia was made, based on deep archival research, previously untranslated private memoirs, and interviews.⁠
⁠
Martin Gayford - How Painting Happens (and why it matters)⁠
Personal reflections from artists on their practice and inspiration.⁠
⁠
Kavita Puri - Partition Voices: Untold British Stories⁠
Remarkable testimonies from former subjects of the Raj who are now British citizens – including Kalvita Puri's own father. ⁠
⁠
Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children⁠
Born at the stroke of midnight, at the precise moment of India's independence, Saleem Sinai is destined from birth to be special.⁠
⁠
Shop in-store or online here: https://tinyurl.com/2tnea3fm
⁠
Birmingham Literature Festival takes place across the West Midlands from Thursday 8 - Monday 12 October.

06/10/2026

Over the Summer, as part of Smethwick Imaginarium: Canalside Art School, Ikon welcomed different communities, artists, and members of the public onto Slow Boat to make together, share conversations and think about the boat as an experimental site for learning, documentation and collective practice.

Smethwick Imaginarium is a place-based arts programme celebrating the cultural diversity, canal heritage and community spirit of Smethwick.

Read more in our Slow Notes blog here: https://tinyurl.com/3pec5szs

Visit Slow Boat for Building Practice with architect Matthew Leung, designed for young people aged 16-25 to talk through approaches to making, thinking, and working within architecture today.
Saturday 24 October
2 – 4pm
Free, suggested donation £5, Booking essential

Plan your visit here: https://tinyurl.com/5fuuzxke

03/10/2026

This weekend we celebrate Balraj Khanna's birthday!⁠
⁠
Born in Jhang, Punjab (now Pakistan) in 1939, Khanna witnessed the Partition of India in 1947 before relocating to London in 1962, becoming a champion of the burgeoning international art scene in London.⁠
⁠
A self-taught artist, writer and curator, he developed a distinctive artistic approach informed by migration, memory, landscape and cultural exchange.⁠
⁠
In case you missed our launch this week, Lines of Flight is now on display across both galleries until Sunday 21 February 2027.⁠
⁠
We are a free entry Contemporary art gallery open to all.⁠

See Balraj Khanna's largest work to date at our Astral Dance Safety Curtain Tour
Sunday 4 October, Birmingham Hippodrome, 12-1pm

Plan your visit here: https://tinyurl.com/4xxnzvjm

Image of Balraj Khanna courtesy of Jhaveri Contemporary
Photography by Tegen Kimbley

02/10/2026

Future Heritage, an exhibition showcase in partnership with Ark Birmingham Schools, is now open!

Throughout the 2026 summer term, students embarked on a creative journey with Ikon’s Education Team, exploring the gallery’s exhibitions Break the Mould and Angela de la Cruz: UPRIGHT. ⁠

Inspired by these visits, they worked alongside artists Niki Gandy, Jo Gane, Nessa Grimes and Hazel Tomlinson through a series of in-school residencies, experimenting with new techniques, ideas and approaches to making.⁠ ⁠

Friday 2 – Sunday 11 October ⁠ ⁠

Free entry and open to all ages.⁠ ⁠

Plan your visit here: https://tinyurl.com/4fxwxxmw

01/10/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our launch of Balraj Khanna: Lines of Flight!

With an amazing attendance and so many positive comments, we are very much looking forward to welcoming more visitors.

If you missed the launch, there are plenty of upcoming events to take part in:

Spotlight Tours
Thursdays 1-1.15pm, Sundays 3-3.15pm

Family Saturday
Saturday 3 October, 11am - 3pm

Astral Dance Safety Curtain Tour
Sunday 4 October, Birmingham Hippodrome, 12-1pm

Balraj Khanna: Lines of Flight is on display until Sunday 21 February 2027. ⁠
Plan your visit here: https://tinyurl.com/2wvrh6ye

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

http://www.ikon-gallery.org/

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