ARTS

From am dram to Ikon exhibitions, from international dance fesativals to an aerosol drenched Digbeth… the arts are all over the city. And we love that.

Covering theatre, dance, literature, food, fine art to modern art and everything in between, read our ARTS pages here.

Not the Last – Women & Theatre’s exploration of Birmingham benefactor Louisa Ryland, at MAC until Sunday 17 September

Words by Ed King / Promotional pictures by Kate Green What is a legacy? How are we remembered? What do we leave behind that tells others of us? Is it our children, is it our ...
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‘Talk To Me’ – New Aussie Possession Horror Is A Brutal, Sharp, Crunchy Shock

Writer Jimmy Dougan (click here to follow at Letterboxd)/ Press images courtesy of Altitude Films Look, here’s the deal: Talk to Me is one of the year’s best films. It’s a remarkable feat of genre ...
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Ocean At The End Of The Lane At The Alexandra Theatre From 23 – 27 May

Words by Jessica Goodman / Production pics by Brinkhoff-Moegenburg ★★★★  “If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise…” Not for the faint of heart, the National Theatre brings its ...
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Heathers The Musical At The Alexandra Theatre 16 – 20 May

Words by Ed King / Production pics by Pamela Raith Photography ★★★★ Dust off your croquet sets and primary colour prom dresses, Heathers the Musical opens this week at The Alexandra Theatre. Directed by Andy ...
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The Way Old Friends Do At Birmingham Rep – Running Until 4 March

Writer Ed King / production shots by Darren Bell With a Swedish flag, gold platform boot, and a microphone on the front cover of the souvenir brochure, you’d be forgiven for thinking The Way Old ...
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Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image Saves The World – At Birmingham Rep Until 11 March

Writer Ed King / Production Photographer Mark Senior “The world’s biggest movie star,” Tom Cruise is back in Birmingham saving Great Britain six nights a week, with an A-list ensemble of do-gooders including Ru Paul, ...
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Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean Explores LGBTQ+ Life In Thatcher’s Britain

Writer Jimmy Dougan *Blue Jean is being screened at Mockingbird Cinema until 16 February, and at MAC from 24 February to 2 March* I can’t help but feel like queer people are being put through ...
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‘The Hip Hop Of Art’: Triple One Five’s Takeover Of Artefact Stirchley Brings Collage Back To Its Political Roots

Writer Victoria Lane / Photographer Connor Pope In the early years of the 20th Century, collage gained prominence as an artistic medium as a way of reflecting the rise of biassed political narratives in the ...
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Iñárritu’s Anticipated ‘Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths’ Previews At MAC Ahead Of Netflix Release

Words by Jimmy Dougan  A few weeks ago, I finished reading Roberto Bolaño’s extraordinary 1998 novel The Savage Detectives. I’m still in mourning – if only I could’ve found a way to prolong it, to ...
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Emberly Presents: Scumbags, Maggots and Cheap Lousy… at The Loft 04/12/22

Writer Mark Roberts / Photographer Connor Pope December is finally upon us. I’ve been trying to ignore the Christmas market because I’m a bit of a scrooge, but if there’s anyone who can get me ...
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Horror in the Modernist Block Explores Dystopian Brutalist Landscapes At Ikon Gallery – Running Until 01/05/23

Writer Sadie Barnett / Photographer Connor Pope The atmosphere is one of excitement as photographer Connor and I arrive at the Horror in the Modernist Block press tour. This marks a new season for the ...
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Shado’s REIMAGINATION Packs Out Centrala On Digbeth First Friday 6/11/2022

Writer Jasmine Khan / Photographer Connor Pope As I stroll into Centrala at 8pm on a Digbeth First Friday, I’m not sure what to expect. REIMAGINATION is packed, more packed than any gig I’ve been ...
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Your Aunty’s Art Sale At Dig Brew On 5 October 2022

Writer Jasmine Khan / Photographer Maddie Cottam-Allan Whenever you’re at Dig Brew you have to eat the pizza, and Your Aunty’s Art Sale is no exception. I’m waiting on my Shrunken Head when Connor from ...
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Discovering Kantha Kathak-K With Amina Khayyam At Birmingham Hippodrome 20/09/2022

Writer Jasmine Khan / Photographer Simon Richardson Before her dance company's performance of Kantha Kathak-K at the Hippodrome on the evening of 20 September, Amina Khayyam took the time to answer a few questions about ...
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Hannah Al-Shemmeri & Rowena J Davis At The John Bowen Gallery In Balsall Heath

Writer Jasmine Khan / Photographer James Thompson It’s still warm at 6pm in what I will persist is late summer, as we arrive at The John Bowen Gallery in Balsall Heath. Who is John Bowen? ...
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Print Matters Kicks Off Supersonic With Raised Fists 01/07/2022

Words Reece Greenfield / Photos Mo Bukhari On Friday 1 July, as part of Digbeth First Friday, I attended an exhibition celebrating radical left-wing print art which was set to kickstart the week leading up ...
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Imogen Morris New Exhibition In Flux At Digbeth Art Space

Writer Emily Doyle / Photographer Jessica Whitty In mid-June, Digbeth Art Space proudly unveiled In Flux, a solo exhibition from local artist Imogen Morris. Months in the making, the works push the boundaries of portraiture ...
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Digbeth Photography Walk With Jack Lewdjaw

Writer & Photographer Beth Exley  I’m helping to run a photography walk around Digbeth with Bristol-based visual artist Jack Lewdjaw, as part of the public programming for The Age of Dreamers is Over exhibition at ...
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Visualising Audio With SoundMuse Artist Nick Chamberlain

Writer Emily Doyle / Photographer Jessica Whitty  “It’s a weird thing, isn't it,” says Chamberlain when I ask him how he arrived here from his classical guitar background. “If you’re an artist using charcoal or ...
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Ewa Partum Exhibition: My Problem Is A Problem Of A Woman – At Centrala

Writer Beth Exley / Photographer Connor Pope Centrala is a small gallery space and café located in Minerva works right on the edge of the Grand Union Canal in Digbeth. It is the only UK ...
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Flatpack Festival 2022 Takes Over Birmingham City Centre May 17-22

Writers Beth Exley, Emily Doyle & Rachel Westwood/Photographers Katja Ogrin, Emily Doyle & Hassan Ul-Haq Flatpack Festival is an annual multi-day event that aims to celebrate film in all its form, as well as the ...
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Robbie Jeffcott Talks Psychedelic Jesuses And Ian Hisblop

Writer Reece Greenfield / Photographer Daisy Richardson Recently, I caught up with Birmingham born and bread artist (and my drinking buddy) Robbie Jeffcott. In the evening sunshine in his Kings Heath back-garden we quaffed offy-bought ...
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“There Was Something About Gays… And Judy Garland” – Riot Act at Birmingham Rep 12.05.22

Writer Ed King / Photographer Holly Revell Riot Act, Alexis Gregory’s solo show, landed at Birmingham Rep as part of a ten date Pride Tour across the UK – produced by Emmerson and Ward, funded ...
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Trixie Mattel At Symphony Hall On 5 May

Writer Alex Shough / Photographer Marion Savary When my partner’s friend realised they’d double-booked themselves and couldn’t make the Trixie Mattel show they’d bought tickets for in 2020, I was all like “oh no, I’m ...
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Sámi Artist Britta Marakatt-Labba Exhibits: Under the Vast Sky – At Ikon Gallery

Writer Harry Croxford / Photographer Erin Connolly The Ikon Gallery in Brindley Place conducts the first UK exhibition of Sámi artist, Britta Marakatt-Labba: Under the Vast Sky. From iconic embroidered pieces to more recent experiments ...
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Ikon Showcases Carlo Crivelli’s Shadows on the Sky

Writer Beth Exley / Photographer Jessica Whitty Walking into the first-floor gallery at Ikon, one of the last things you expect to see are huge, gilded frames containing masterpieces from the Italian Renaissance, but that’s ...
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Casey Bailey’s GrimeBoy Runs At Birmingham Rep 22-30 April

Writer Ed King / Photographer Graeme Braidwood The idea of a Birmingham REP production about grime music raises a few questions and eyebrows. How is the well-established theatre, home of traditional and touring shows, going ...
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Birmingham Critical Film Forum ‘Earthly Bodies’ Screens’ At Eastside Projects

Writer Beth Exley / Photographer Dinosaur Kilby - Eastside Projects I feel a little awkward arriving at Eastside Projects for the ‘Earthly Bodies’ Birmingham Critical Film Forum screening. I’m pretty early and haven’t been to ...
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Empower Poetry Eliminates Elitism With Soul-Revealing Spoken Word And Free Cupcakes

Writer Jasmine Khan / Photographer Enhance Creatives Empower Poetry delivered a truly unique experience last Wednesday at Zumhof Biergarten, on Lower Trinity Street. One which provided a safe space for all attendees, and samosa for ...
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Coming to England “world premiere” at Birmingham Rep

Writer Ed King / Photographer Geraint Lewis “My smile is my armour…” Outside is rain soaked and grey, but inside the Birmingham Rep are colourful balloons, calypso music, and the lure of rum cocktails on ...
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A Life Lived Through Photographs: Getting to Know Home with Maryam Wahid

Writer Noah Underwood / Photographer Tegen Kimbley Walking into award-winning photographer Maryam Wahid’s first major photographic exhibition at the Midlands Arts Centre, Zaibunnisa, I am struck by an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Homegrown in Birmingham ...
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Snapshots of Mumbai – by Ed King, featuring pictures from Paul Ward

Pics by Paul Ward – all photography in this article has taken from Snapshots of Mumbai On Saturday 15th August, Birmingham born writer Ed King releases Snapshots of Mumbai – marking 75 years of India’s ...
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BREVIEW: BE FESTIVAL @ Birmingham REP 02-06.07.19

Saturday 6th July – BE FESTIVAL (final night) Words by Ed King / Production photography courtesy of BE FESTIVAL and Alex Brenner “Everything you are about to see has already happened, for real.” I’m getting ...
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