Ikon Gallery

FRONT OF HOUSE TAKEOVER! This week, we hand over control of our Instagram feed to our Front of House team. Expect insider knowledge, snaps from behind the scenes, and hear their thoughts about our current shows. First up is this brilliant shot by @laurajaunzems. Head on over to Instagram to hear more @ikongallery. ow.ly/1Eut30ndNYr

Today Matthew Krishanu's murder of crows landed at Ikon, perching in the reception areas of our neo-gothic building. Open from tomorrow, 8 January - 10 March, A Murder of Crows coincides with Krishanu’s show The Sun Never Sets at Midlands Arts Centre - MAC. Come and celebrate the official opening next Saturday, 19 January 5-7pm. ow.ly/EUy930ndMcN

Today’s Family Saturday ‘Foam Shape Foam’ was pure joy, thank you all Ikon Families for bringing your new year energy with you and filling our room with some shaptastic foam printing. Join the Family Team in February as we get our heads together for the next Family Saturday. 🔸🔺🔹

~ Family Saturday ~ Shape Foam Shape. 🔺 The humble sponge 🧽 either in cake, wash or sea form we marvel in its glory. But what about when you find tonnes of them in an art gallery? Drop in tomorrow 12-4pm to experiment with them in paint form. We invite our Ikon Families to print masterpieces in all the shapes they can think of or kick back and relax in our story corner.

Join us to celebrate the opening of A Murder of Crows. Dozens of Matthew Krishanu’s painted crows will be displayed throughout Ikon’s neo-gothic premises. This exhibition coincides with Matthew Krishanu’s The Sun Never Sets at Midlands Arts Centre - MAC. ow.ly/KwVT30nc1gt

A great artist opportunity! University of Birmingham seeks applications for a new public sculpture commission for 2019-20 in partnership with Arts & Science Festival. Deadline 24 February, apply now. ow.ly/ys7730nbQde

We're very pleased to have received such a great review for our "brilliantly coherent" Haroon Mirza show, from Financial Times.

Happy New Year! Our galleries, Ikon Shop and Yorks Cafe are open and ready to welcome you back...so why not kick off your 2019 with a visit to Haroon Mirza's exhibition, open until 24 February. ow.ly/Op6430n9TQu

Our galleries, Ikon Shop and Yorks Cafe are closed for Christmas from Monday 24 December - Tuesday 1 January 2019 inclusive. The Ikon team would like to wish all of our visitors and supporters a very merry Christmas and we look forward to welcoming you back in 2019!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK! We love this shot from @mr.simsingh - taken inside Haroon Mirza’s The National Apavilion of Then and Now (2011). A very neat vantage point! This will be our last #photooftheweek for 2018, thanks to everyone who uploaded a photo to #ikongallery this year.

Another amazing opportunity! We are seeking expressions of interest for an artist commission that explores the meaning and value of care in human relationships. Deadline 14 January. ow.ly/C8GY30n3BxK

Great to see our LOVE CULTURE, HATE CUTS campaign featured in Birmingham Live, but we still need your support! Please sign now, and help reverse the proposed cuts to cultural funding in the Birmingham City Council 2019 Budget: ow.ly/m3hj30n2GGy

PhD opportunity! Apply now for the collaborative doctoral award project, Making art part of everyday life: The influence of Asian art on UK curatorial practice, with Ikon and BCU - Birmingham School of Art. Part of Arts and Humanities Research Council - AHRC funded Midlands4Cities Doctoral Training Partnership. Deadline 14 January ow.ly/ynKC30n1Zti

On 23 January, join us to celebrate the opening of Forward: New Art from Birmingham at Medicine Bakery + Gallery, Birmingham. Includes a live performance In Two Minds by Kevin Atherton, 6.15pm.
Forward: New Art from Birmingham is a group exhibition, including work by approximately twenty five artists, living and working in this city, to highlight the depth and vitality of a wide range of practices.
ow.ly/SF0y30n1PK4

This is your last week to see Haroon Mirza's Ikon show in 2018, before we close for Christmas - so why not finish your year with some immersive art? As always, the galleries are open 11am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday. ow.ly/2Kjd30mXEmD

Ikon's galleries, shop and Yorks Cafe are closed for Christmas from Monday 24 December 2018 – Tuesday 1 January 2019 inclusive. We'll be back open as usual from 2 January 2019, with our current show by Haroon Mirza.

Drop in at 3pm today for a free, short tour of our current exhibition by Haroon Mirza - reality is somehow what we expect it to be. ow.ly/e7qq30mWEwN

Add some culture to your lunch break today, and join us for a Spotlight Tour on Haroon Mirza's Rules of Appropriation series of works. Free, all welcome - just drop in at 12.30pm. ow.ly/cAHc30mWBGR

Have you signed the petition yet? Birmingham City Council are proposing a cut of nearly 50% in their grants to arts and cultural organisations. Please help stop further cuts by signing our online petition before 31 December 2018. #BrumBudget19 ow.ly/knOf30mXBiF

what she said. small but perfectly formed. a place that takes you away from the norm, then makes you think. What more do you want?

Yorks cafe recently opened and as good as the other two venues... but in a beautiful part of Birmingham. Great to see this company growing and providing great food and coffee!

Very nicely laid out, clean and inviting, loved the sculpture display, and tape and magnetic themes, I'm not educated in art yet loved this visit and felt inspired, friendly informative staff, would recommend to anyone and it's free, what more can you ask for, and oh..... DO take the lift between floors, it's a fun experience!

The best you have had has to be lee bull exhibition where children can walk in and feel excited about art it's great to see well done ikon gallery and lee bull for showing us your amazing talent.

Small but fabulous place! Both exhibitions were very interesting, the staff were friendly, the building itself is worth a visit, and the lifts have the best elevator music in the world!

My two children had a lovely time at a workshop today making Pinhole camera's. All the staff and artists were polite, helpful and friendly. We had a great time. This was our third workshop here and we will definately be coming back

Love this place and kids activities. Lovely Ladies offering great kids activities where we Mommies can also learn something together with our kiddos �� Always pleasure being there

I love Ikon Gallery, the staff are knowledgeable and enthusiastic if you need to ask them anything. It always has varied shows and is probably my favourite place in Birmingham

Highly engaging and hospitable refuge of ideas nested within the midst of a busy city.

Had a lovely meal here on sunday sat in the sun lovely atmosphere food was very good would recommend this place to anyone.

Great exhibition space and the 'room attendants' are so knowledgeable- they and the Dan Flavin exhibition were the only good thing about Friday 23rd June (referendum results)

Don't think I have ever seen a poor exhibition here. The current Fiona Banner show is superb and the cafe and building are great too, right down to the sound effects in the lift. Gallery staff really helpful and informative too.

Best and kindest people I have ever seen!

Very interesting pieces of works of art and worth a visit. Can;t wait to see what is being exhibited next. Had a lovely lunch in the Opus Cafe

Love the building, its wonderful lift (we always make double trips in it!) and the "challenging" artwork.

Good service and a few nice ales on offer .... nice pit stop

Edmund Clark's exhibition was superb yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed the talk given by one of the members of staff Laura, as well as the information provided to me afterwards regarding the details of the exhibit. The idea of prison being a place where human beings are rehabilitated rather than punished and thrown back into a never ending cycle of crime is incredibly progressive. Combined with the inescapable isolation experienced by the inhabitants, the idea as a whole was truly insightful.

A lovely little place to eat, staff were fab and helped us to meet the needs of a big group wanting a bite to eat before travelling home, food was gorgeous and catered for the kids well, if we visit birmingham again we will visit again x x

Really hopeless blonde lady working in the shop/reception today. Appeared to know nothing about the exhibitions, didn't know the price items sold in the gift shop and ignored me twice when I was waiting in the queue. Was so annoyed, that myself and child left the gallery after I asked her if the Kevin Atherton video/magazine was available to buy and she made a call then wondered off!



Really unhelpful