Ikon gallery launches annual Migrant Festival
Ikon gallery has launched their Migrant Festival for the fifth consecutive time. The festival is a free event that celebrates Birmingham as a city of migration, sanctuary and refuge.
Happening from 17 August to 3 September, this year 's festival features projects by three Birmingham photographers - Vanley Burke, Ayesha Jones and Maryam Wahid - who are collaborating with inner-city communities to share their stories of migration.
The festival also includes artists ' talks, music events by Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham and a family workshop.
Education is central to Vanley Burke 's exhibition, 'Gift to Birmingham ', which showcases portraits of members of Migrant Voice commissioned by University of Birmingham.
Organised by Ikon and presented at The Exchange, the former municipal bank in Centenary Square, the exhibition runs from 3 July to 16 September 2023.
A Gift to Birmingham has previously toured community venues in Aston, Handsworth and Smethwick, alongside free resources for Birmingham educators to address diversity through teaching practice. To date, over three hundred children have used the activity packs, which include critical questions and creative exercises, to consider subjects of race, language, culture and religion - allowing learners to express their own identities.
Leave A Light In My Room is the work of Birmingham born artist Ayesha Jones (pictured), who documents journeys of migration, motherhood and living with health issues, through photography and film.
Her exhibition will be held at the Ikon gallery from 17 to 20 August. Jones has been commissioned by Birmingham Hospice and Ikon to take photographs of, and document conversations with, the Erdington Asian Group, north Birmingham.
Supported by hospice staff, Jones ' photography workshops have provided a space for community members to discuss issues of ageing and dying well. This exhibition forms part of Birmingham City Council 's Compassionate City project, which aims to normalise conversations around death, dying and loss.
Maryam Wahid 's 'Dreams of Brum ', exhibition explores the themes of loss, memory, displacement, identity and migration. With a focus on the maternal home, Wahid highlights inherited objects and domestic archives as aids for storytelling and learning about cultural heritage.
The exhibition will also be held at Ikon gallery from 31 August to 3 September. The exhibition is showcases Wahid 's photographic portraits taken at Handsworth Library during a series of creative community workshops with printmaker Haseebah Ali.
The exhibition also tours to Handsworth Library throughout autumn and winter 2023.
A Gift to Birmingham was commissioned as part of the 'Non-formal Intercommunal Education in Birmingham (NICE-B) ' project, led by Dr Reza Gholami, deputy director of the Centre for Research in Race and Education, University of Birmingham.
Speaking about the exhibition, Ikon acting artistic director Dr Linzi Stauvers said: “For the last five years Ikon has been running the annual Migrant Festival, featuring discussions, performances and commissions that showcase the rich culture, art and history of migration in Birmingham.
“Following the success of Osman Yousefzada 's Infinity Pattern I (2021) and Hew Locke 's Foreign Exchange (2022), this year, we 're celebrating Birmingham as a centre of photography with exhibitions, talks and workshops by artists Vanley Burke, Ayesha Jones and Maryam Wahid. “Through partnerships with a local charity, library and hospice, the three photographers have portrayed community members in ways that collectively present our city 's epic story of migration, including moments of love and loss. ”
Contact Rebecca Small on r.small@ikon-gallery.org or call Ikon on 0121 248 0708 for more information.