Today, Ikon Gallery is one of Birmingham’s most iconic buildings. Housed in the gorgeous Grade II-listed, neo-Gothic former Oozells Street Board School. But that wasn’t the original intention for the gallery, which, in 1964, was founded as “an antithesis to exclusive art establishments and galleries.”
Ikon—founded by art collector Angus Skene and four artists from the Birmingham School of Art—was first conceived as a “gallery without walls”, with exhibitions planned for unconventional locations like cinemas and post offices.
In 1965, it took up residence in an octagonal glass-walled kiosk in Birmingham’s original Bullring, and held its first exhibition from local artist John Salt. Later, it moved to a former mortuary, a newly built shopping mall and a former carpet shop, before finding its home at Oozells Square in 1997.
Somehow, in all that bouncing around, Ikon established itself as one of the UK’s most important contemporary art galleries outside London—and even dislodged Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery as the go-to venue for many travelling art exhibitions.
Gallery
In the modern day, Birmingham is rife with exciting, cutting-edge art galleries—like Eastside Projects and Centrala Space, just as examples—but it’s hard to imagine what the city’s art scene would look like without over 60 years of Ikon Gallery.
Still staunchly independent, this not-for-profit exhibition space remains committed to promoting local voices, while expanding its international horizons—recent exhibitions include Foka Wolf, Janet Mendelsohn, Haroon Mirza, Krištof Kintera and Hew Locke.
Exhibitions
Acrylic and sand on canvas, 242 x 134cm
Courtesy the estate of Balraj Khanna and Jhaveri Contemporary.
Photo by Andrew Judd
Currently, see the first major survey exhibition of the British–Indian artist Balraj Khanna on view until February 21, 2027. ‘Lines of Flight’ brings together more than 40 paintings made over six decades, touching on themes of migration, identity and belonging.
To see what else is on, head to the Ikon Gallery website.
