We consider Birmingham a pretty ‘arty city’ even by Britain’s standards. There’s a thriving street art scene to discover, plus plenty of awesome independent art galleries brimming with Brummie talent. Unsurprisingly, with such a taste for the arts, there are always some awesome art exhibitions in Birmingham to see. Not only are you likely to catch both local and international talent, but everything from the world’s best nature photographs to a celebration of ceramics. You can get your dose of culture during 2024 with these art exhibitions in Birmingham. Will you see ’em at the museum?
1. Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum
Not in Birmingham, but this display in Coventry hosts last year’s most stunning photographs showcasing Earth’s extraordinary diversity and the fragility of wildlife on our planet. The 59th Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition makes the perfect pairing with the museum’s fascinating natural science collections. The 100 winning photographs were chosen from 49,957 entries by photographers of all ages and experience levels from 95 countries. It also features soundscapes, videos and expert insights that capture animal behaviour, spectacular species, and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world.
Until April 1, 2024. For more information head here.
2. Start the Press!, Ikon Gallery
Ikon Gallery reopens for its 60th anniversary with this celebration of printmakers. The centrepiece of Start the Press! is an antique, flatbed printing press from Wolverhampton School of Art – taking its position in the gallery as a form of protest to the current challenging economic landscape. A cohort of West Midlands printmakers will operate the press: establishing a functioning printmaking studio, producing original prints and filling the gallery walls with artwork made in real-time.
Regional printmakers will include Taiba Akhtar, Haseebah Ali, Simon Harris, Fae Kilburn, Karen McLean, Laura Onions, Satinder Parhar and Heather Peak. Start the Press! also includes a display of printmaking, featuring artworks by Lubaina Himid, David Hockney, Yinka Shonibare and Catherine Yass. In addition, Ikon will show a series of prints by artist Pamela Scott Wilkie who first exhibited at Ikon in 1966.
From February 9 to April 21, 2024. Find more information here.
3. Celebrating Ceramics, MAC
Celebrating Ceramics showcases the wonderful creativity and skill of participants, and artist pass holders who created work at MAC during 2023. The show demonstrates the versatility and beauty of clay, from coil pots and handbuilt vessels to inlaid porcelain, wheel-thrown ceramics and sculptural forms, decorated with coloured slips, oxide glazes or inlays. The work was created in its world-class ceramics studios.
From January 20 to June 2. Learn more about this exhibition here.
4. Victorian Radicals, Birmingham Museum & Gallery
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery finally reopens in 2024. This starts with The Gas Hall, which will host the return of Birmingham’s world-famous collection of Pre-Raphaelite art. Victorian Radicals has spent the past five years touring America but will kick off the art gallery’s return with this special homecoming exhibition – which is made up of three generations of British artists working between 1840 and 1910.
There are more than 160 works on display, by artists such as Ford Madox Brown, William Morris, Elizabeth Siddall, and Birmingham-born Edward Burne-Jones. Expect paintings, drawings, jewellery, textiles and metalwork, all exploring the relationship between art and nature in an age of industry. The collection also celebrates Birmingham’s historic importance as a centre for the Arts and Crafts -where local artists combined the poetry and intensity of the Pre-Raphaelites’ work with a distinctive Brummie identity.
From February 10. For more information head here.
5. Marvel At My World, Library of Birmingham
Marvel at My World is the debut exhibition from artist Subhash Viman Gorania. Taking place at the Library of Birmingham, the free exhibition is inspired by the influence of heroes in his life, including dance gurus, Hindu myth and comic book heroes. It has a collection of three-dimensional deities, a series of Hindu Gods presented as superheroes and an array of prints inspired by Andy Warhol.
January 19 until April 13, 2024. For more info head here.
6. The Black Country: Photographs by Phil Loach 1970s – 90s, RBSA Gallery
Dudley-born photographer Phil Loach (1949-2023) worked as a press cameraman for 40 years, photographing a wide range of people and occasions in the West Midlands and beyond. In addition to his press work, he created a large private archive of documentary photographs. These personal pictures, presented in this exhibition, reflect his unique view of his home region. You’ll find a rare snapshot of unusual places, bizarre situations, and everyday events of the Black Country.
From February 13 to 24. Learn more about this exhibition here.