More Visual Arts News
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Walking with Wolves exhibition opens
Posted on Thu 17 Apr
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Hrair Sarkissian brings solo exhibition to Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Posted on Tue 01 Apr
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Rembrandt: Masterpieces in Black and White opens at BM&AG
Posted on Wed 05 Mar
The Midlands has a wealth of art galleries and museums hosting a range of fantastic exhibitions - both permanent and temporary. Here's a selection of what's showing across the region.
THREAD THE LOOM
his group exhibition, celebrating the art of weaving, provides visitors with the chance to observe, engage with and participate in traditional and contemporary art & craft practices.
The show will see an AVL Studio Dobby loom - on loan from Birmingham City University - being activated through a series of micro-residencies with international artist Seulgi Lee and five West Midlands weavers... Textiles produced on the loom will be exhibited alongside work by contemporary artists Raisa Kabir, Alis Oldfield, Bharti Parmar, Dinah Prentice and Su Richardson.
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, until Sun 7 September
I GREW UP 90S
A trip down memory lane awaits visitors to this summer-long celebration of all things 1990s. Featuring more than 200 iconic objects and artworks, the show recalls toys, video games, fashions, food, films and music from the decade of Cool Britannia. In the process, it calls to mind all manner of cultural treasures, from the Spice Girls and Lara Croft, to Pokémon and Power Rangers.
Worcester City Art Gallery. until Sunday 7 September
BILLY DOSANJH ENDZ OF THE WORLD: CODED FURNACES
Film, photography, sculpture, print making and painting all feature in the artistic output of Billy Dosanjh, much of whose practice is set in the de-industrialised factory towns of the Midlands.
This new exhibition of Billy’s work considers the subject of technical evolution, examining the similarities between the Industrial Revolution and current technological developments, in particular the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Wolverhampton Art Gallerv. until Sunday 21 September
WATCH US LEAD
Multi-disciplinary artist Christopher Samuel’s new exhibition highlights the experiences of disabled people of colour in Birmingham - and echoes the many facets of his own lived experience as a Black disabled man.
Bringing together stained glass and drawings with nine newly recorded interviews, the show investigates themes of stigma, belonging and agency.
Commenting on his exhibition, Christopher said: “The realisation of how important making this body of work is, was highlighted for me through the barriers I encountered [in delivering it] - showing that the system has not historically been set up to preserve stories or voices like mine.”
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, until Friday 26 September
EMMA TALBOT: HOW WE LEARN TO LOVE
Compton Verney’s major summer exhibition features a collection of new and recent work by award-winning artist Emma Talbot which ‘powerfully explores the experience of life; from birth to death’.
The show includes examples of Emma’s sculpture, painting, animation, drawing and large-scale paintings on silk.
At the heart of the exhibition is an epic new installation called The Tragedies. Drawing on a selection of stories, including the Ancient Greek tale of Medea - who killed her two sons as an act of revenge - the artwork is a reflection on the ‘unbelievable acts of aggression’ which people feel compelled to commit during times of confrontation.
The exhibition also contemplates ‘our shifting relationships with technology, language and communication’, exploring how, in new forms and guises, they can transform public and political narratives.
Compton Verney, Warwickshire, until Sunday 5 October
OUTSIDE IN: SHELTER
Shelter is the seventh National Open exhibition to be presented by Outside In, an award-winning charity dedicated to helping artists who encounter barriers to accessing the art world. These may include issues around health, disability, isolation, or the individual’s social circumstance.
As part of Shelter, surrealist sculptor & furniture designer Chantal Pitts was selected for a 21-week residency at the gallery, during which period she developed an interactive and den-like installation that will serve as the exhibition’s information hub.
The New Art Gallery, Walsall, until Sunday 19 October
THE OFFBEAT SARI
“The idea for the exhibition came from a desire to challenge the way that South Asian culture is conventionally depicted - as being timeless, or rigid in the colonial or post-colonial past.”
So explains Priya Khanchandani, who has curated this major exhibition. The show celebrates the contemporary sari and brings together a selection of striking garments designed, worn and crafted by people from India. “I wanted to showcase South Asia as a culture in the process of evolution, and one which is as relevant to contemporary fashion as anywhere else.
“MAC is a fantastic place to present the exhibition. Its artistic programme reflects and represents the cultures of the city of Birmingham, and I think the show will resonate with Brummies of South Asian heritage in a meaningful way.”
Midlands Arts Centre (MAC). Birmingham, until Sunday 2 November
GREENER GLASS
With an emphasis on eco-friendly practices and the artistic exploration of environmental themes, the future of glassmaking is brought firmly into focus in this long-running exhibition.
The show - co-curated by UK artists in collaboration with University of Birmingham students - features a diverse array of glass artworks produced using a wide range of techniques, including kiln work, glass blowing, mosaic, flame working and cast glass.
Stourbridge Glass Museum, Wordsley, until Sunday 27 July
SEULGI LEE
New pieces commissioned by Ikon form part of Seulgi Lee’s first solo exhibition in the UK. The Seoul artist and Paris resident creates work which reflects her interest in the relationship that exists between craft practices and the language system. To do so, she has developed a unique sculptural vocabulary in which she often combines conceptual approaches with artisanal methods.
Ikon Art Gallery, Birmingham, until Sunday 7 September
BRICK DINOS
This new exhibition provides families with the opportunity to step back in time to the prehistoric world.
The show’s attractions include a range of Lego dinosaur sculptures - created in collaboration with palaeontologists - behind-the-scenes videos, photo opportunities, and the chance to uncover fossils at an interactive ‘dino dig’.
Visitors can also get creative with hands-on Lego and Duplo play, design their own dinosaurs on a graffiti wall, and take home dinosaur-themed colouring sheets.
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry, until Sunday 7 September
OUTSIDE IN: SHELTER
Shelter is the seventh National Open exhibition to be presented by Outside In, an award-winning charity dedicated to helping artists who encounter barriers to accessing the art world. These may include issues around health, disability, isolation, or the individual’s social circumstance.
As part of Shelter, surrealist sculptor & furniture designer Chantal Pitts was selected for a 21-week residency at the gallery, during which period she developed an interactive and den-like installation that will serve as the exhibition’s information hub.
New Art Gallery, Walsall, until Sunday 19 October
THROUGH THEIR EYES: 80 YEARS ON
Marking this month’s 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, Through Their Eyes is part of the National Memorial Arboretum’s The Year Was 1945... project. The initiative comprises displays, events, services, talks and tours, its aim being to share the stories of those who served during wartime.
Through Their Eyes has been produced by the Royal British Legion, the UK’s largest charity solely dedicated to supporting the needs of the Armed Forces community.
National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire, until Sunday 16 November
DIPPY IN COVENTRY: THE NATION'S FAVOURITE DINOSAUR
The Natural History Museum’s iconic Diplodocus cast - life-size, made of plaster-of-paris, and affectionately referred to as Dippy - has taken up residence in Coventry for an initial period of three years.
Diplodocus carnegii, to give it its official name, lived during the Late Jurassic period, somewhere between 155 and 145 million years ago. Huge, plant-eating dinosaurs with long, whip-like tails, they grew to about 25 metres in length and are believed to have weighed around 15 tonnes, making them three tonnes heavier than a London double-decker bus.
Dippy first arrived in London in 1905 and recently visited Birmingham as part of an eight-city tour that attracted a record-breaking two million visitors.
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry, until Tues 21 February 2026