Arts: Ron Terada – Who I Think I Am

Big Star

Canadian artist Ron Terada’s practice engages with themes of signage and although Who I Think I Am is his first European exhibition his work is no stranger to the West Midlands. CONTINUE READING THIS POST >

Arts: Clare Rojas – We They, We They

Clare Rojas – We They, We They
Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Birmingham. 0121 248 0708
ikon-gallery.co.uk
3 February – 21 March 2010
Free entry
The beautiful folk-inspired work of Clare Rojas comes to the Ikon as the gallery presents the first UK museum exhibition by the American artist.
Using a wide range of media, including painting, installation and print-making the exhibition, comprising much new work, marks a shift in Rojas’ practice. Paintings of empty domestic interiors suggest people have just departed, leaving clues of their identities, subtle revelations of gender and class.
The paintings will form centrepieces in a larger installation that is the entire exhibition, walls of the gallery covered by a patchwork of painted panels akin to a quilt.  Some are focused on particular imagery; others are assemblages of colour and pattern. They combine to recall a myriad of references from West Coast modernism, to Latino folk or Native American craft, outsider art and street graffiti.
Ikon’s Tower Room will contain paintings on antique banjos, drawing together Rojas’ musical and literary interests. There will also be a concert in which the artist will perform songs taken from her albums released under the name of her alter-ego Peggy Honeywell. See ikon-gallery.co.uk for performance date.

White Tulip Twins

The beautiful folk-inspired work of Clare Rojas comes to the Ikon in Birmingham as the gallery presents the first UK museum exhibition by the American artist. CONTINUE READING THIS POST >

Arts: The Tiger Lucky 8 with CHU

To celebrate the year of the Tiger in the Chinese New Year, Tiger Beer have collaborated with artists around the UK to create art that explores the elements that compose the Chinese zodiac which include earth, wood, metal, fire and water. The artists will be pushed to the limits of their creativity, using a multitude of techniques such as engraving, interactive arts and installations to represent their given element. The daring Josef Valentino, who took the assignment on the premise that only artists who pushed the boundaries of art and imagination be involved, will curate all of the UK shows.
In accordance with this ethos, Walsall artist Chu has been chosen as the Birmingham representative and has been entrusted with the task of representing Wood. Having grown up in Walsall, Chu built himself a formidable reputation in the graffiti world during the 80’s and has since gone on to work with the staggeringly talented Banksy and Jamie Hewlett (Gorrilaz). Now a resident of London where he is a studio artist, he returns to his hometown to push Birmingham’s artistic threshold once more, challenging his townsfolk’s perceptions of what art can be. His creation, a bespoke 3 dimensional wooden cube filled with 3-d art, is as much a scientific triumph as an artistic one and will examine in one piece a section of Chinese history and the future of art.
Monday February 15

tiger_35

To celebrate the year of the Tiger in the Chinese New Year, Tiger Beer have collaborated with artists around the UK to create art that explores the elements that compose the Chinese zodiac which include earth, wood, metal, fire and water. The artists will be pushed to the limits of their creativity, using a multitude of techniques such as engraving, interactive arts and installations to represent their given element. The daring Josef Valentino, who took the assignment on the premise that only artists who pushed the boundaries of art and imagination be involved, will curate all of the UK shows.

CONTINUE READING THIS POST >

Arts: The Collection by Siobhan Davies Dance

SiobhanDavisTime is running out for you to catch The Collection by Siobhan Davies Dance. The installation at the Ikon Eastside gallery which presents contemporary dance and visual art together, is open from 1-5 pm till 4 October. CONTINUE READING THIS POST >

News: Pick up AREA

If you are one of the lucky people to be based in the West Midlands like Fused then you need to make sure you get your hands on our new monthly pocket guide – AREA.

CONTINUE READING THIS POST >