Ikon is an internationally acclaimed contemporary art venue situated in central Birmingham. Housed in the neo-gothic Oozells Street School, it is an educational charity and works to encourage public engagement with contemporary art through exhibiting new work in a context of debate and participation.

The gallery programme features artists from around the world. A variety of media is represented, including sound, film, mixed media, photography, painting, sculpture and installation.

Blind Spot magazine, Issue eight (1996), Art direction by Tony Arefin. Courtesy Blind Spot.

Ikon’s off-site programme develops dynamic relationships between art, artists and audiences outside the gallery. Projects vary enormously in scale, duration and location, challenging expectations of where art can be seen and by whom. Education is at the heart of Ikon’s activities, stimulating public interest in and an understanding of contemporary visual art.

Bomb magazine (Winter 1996), Art direction by Tony Arefin. Designed by Miranda Dempster.

Through a variety of talks, tours, workshops and seminars, the Learning Team aim to build a meaningful relationship with Ikon’s audience that enables visitors to engage with, discuss and reflect on contemporary art.

Yael Bartana: And Europe Will Be Stunned, Zamach (Assassination) (2011) Commissioned by Artangel. Production Still by Marcin Kalinski.

Ikon Gallery have the following upcoming exhibitions from 12 September – 4 November: a retrospective of the work of Tony Arefin, who was a graphic designer prominent during the YBA period of the 1990s, and the trilogy And Europe Will Be Stunned, by Israeli artist Yael Bartana. Additionally, Ann Veronica Janssens returns to Ikon with her video work Oscar (2009), a portrait of the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer at the age of 102.

Yael Bartana: And Europe Will Be Stunned, Zamach (Assassination) (2011) Commissioned by Artangel. Production Still by Marcin Kalinski.

Ikon Gallery can be found at 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B1 2HS.

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