PICK OF THE WEEK
At Home With Vanley Burke / Takehisa Kosugi / Julie Brook
Ikon, from Wednesday July 22
Ikon’s wonderful summer season gets underway, including a unique recreation of the Nechells home of photographer Vanley Burke, showcasing his singular hoard of artworks and artefacts which reflect his own life and the wider story of black culture in the UK. Meanwhile, the influential Japanese sound artist Takehisa Kosugi presents three audio installations, including a bespoke piece made for Ikon, while the gallery’s Tower Room plays host to Pigment, Julie Brook’s film of Namibian Himba women.
ALSO THIS WEEK
Portrait Prize Exhibition
RBSA Gallery, from Thursday July 16
The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists’ biennial portrait show, this time in collaboration with the charity Changing Faces, including a range of works responding to facial disfigurement.
Shock & Gore
Electric Cinema, from Friday July 17
The fifth annual edition of the Electric’s peerless horror and fantasy festival, this year featuring the return of David Lynch Night, the legendary S&G film and videogame all-nighter, and a city-centre ghost walk culminating in a screening of 1963 chiller The Haunting.
Birmingham Fest
Various venues, from Friday July 17
Now a fixture of Brum’s cultural summer, 17 days of independent theatre spread across four venues – the Blue Orange, the Crescent, the Old Joint Stock and @AE Harris.
London Indian Film Festival
Various venues, from Monday July 20
The annual selection of new indie flicks from the subcontinent spreads to Birmingham for the first time, with screenings at Mac and the Broad Street Cineworld.
Vanley’s Summer Party
Ikon, Wednesday July 22
Following the opening of At Home With Vanley Burke, a night of celebration with Caribbean food and music courtesy of Wassifa Showcase.
STILL RUNNING
Love Is Enough: William Morris and Andy Warhol
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, until Sunday September 6
A show masterminded by Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller, in which Morris and Warhol’s strikingly similar methods of mass production and collaboration are juxtaposed.
The Story Of Children’s Television From 1946 To Today
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, until Sunday September 13
A warmly-received and wide-ranging exhibition charting seven decades of kids’ TV via clips, images, merchandise and memorabilia.
DATE FOR THE DIARY
Birmingham Weekender
Various venues, from Friday September 25
The city centre comes alive with all manner of outdoor art, theatre, music and food to celebrate the opening of the renovated New Street station and the Rugby World Cup coming to Villa Park.
The Brum Notes weekly arts roundup is uploaded every Thursday at 9am.
