City Full of Secrets

b-ART-er: Curator5 inviting you to their empty shop

2010-11-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

Birmingham based Curator5 (which I am proudly the part of :) will be hosting a new exhibition featuring six local artists in an empty shop in the Pavilions Shopping Centre, to highlight the effects of the recent recession.

The group, made up of Peter Barcham, Jilin "Lin" Nui, Roma Piotrowska, Sonya Russell-Saunders and Clair Walton are giving six up and coming artists the chance to create work based on their thoughts on the consumer crisis. The project is running in conjunction with Buy Nothing Day, and to mark the event the organisers have brought together Michael Bold, Chris Clinton, Alex Lockett, Adam Radley, Lisa Roffey, Tim Stock who are each contributing to the new show.

Michael Bold from Crewe is using empty boxes, inviting you to buy a box of nothing on 27th November 2010 "Buy Nothing Day" in exchange for a photograph of yourself as a record of the transaction. His boxes will disappear over the duration of the show, reflective of the disappearing high street shop.

Alex Lockett offers free flower seeds do your own guerilla gardening in exchange for a chat about the recession and allotment keeping.

Chris Clintons beautiful minimalist pieces constructed from recycled materials.

Adam Radley is a graffiti artist exploring the idea of being trapped in consumerism.

Lisa Roffey offers a film on an intangible shop.

Tim Stock has a pile of original photographs of empty shops - do you feel comfortable taking an original art work for free?

To publicise the show, which opens on 25 November and runs until 28 November 2010 the organisers are pushing a trolley around Birmingham on Buy Nothing day on 27th November 2010.

Curator5 b-ART-er was set up in 2010 as part of the of the INHABIT programme of Pop up arts tearooms across Birmingham. Hybrid has been commissioned by Birmingham City Council to produce Inhabit. The programme contributes towards the ‘Culture on your doorstep’ strand of Birmingham’s Cultural Strategy.

The Slavic Soul Feast will start on this Saturday at 7!

2010-10-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Slavic Soul Feast will start on Saturday at 7 with some films by Andrzej Karmasz. Artist is interested in gender identity and cultural diversity. He examines those areas impersonating a woman, particularly a woman from another culture. He travels to different, often distant parts of the World and changes his identi...ty. The most famous is his series of self-portraits, in which he impersonate the geisha. Final picture is the result of a long process of examining a foreign culture.

On the “Slavic Soul Feast” we are showing three films by him, two of them are documentations of these processes.

Colour presents: Port - Royal / Tuesday 19 October, 7.30pm at the Victoria.

2010-10-17T05:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 19 October, 7.30pm at the Victoria. Tickets cost £5

Slavic Soul Feast / Saturday 23rd October 2010, 7pm, @A.E. Harris, Jewellery Quarter

2010-10-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

Lively Hops, picturesque twirls, energetic, joyful movements, coral necklaces, flowers, ribbons, head scarfs, and embroided, gaudy fabrics!

There are over 70 regions in Poland, each with their own distinctive dances and costumes, as well as original melodies and songs. Black History Month helps to promote knowledge about the vast contribution that Black people have made in every aspect of life, across the world. This is also a pretext to learn more about diverse histories, heritage and culture traditions of other ethnic minorities living in the UK.

Along classics of Polish alternative music you will hear the whole range of contemporary Slavic folk beats! So, come and join us on the best feast with Slavic beats in the West Midlands!

We will also show contemporary art videos examining multicultural society and ethnic identity by Andrzej Karmasz. Projection will be followed by delicious vegetarian pierogi and meety bigos. Good food and traditional Polish drinks will give you some energy to jump straight to the dance floor!

The Slavic Soul Feast is organised by Polish Expats Association as a part of Black History Month in a factory @A.E. Harris in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham.

Where:
Stan’s cafe
@A.E. Harris
128 Northwood Street, Jewellery Quarter
Birmingham B3 1SZ

When:

Saturday 23rd October 2010

Lineup

7pm film

8 pm Food feast and Slavic party

Contact: 07749676993
roma@polishexpats.org.uk

Tickets : £3 at the door

Shakespeare by an award-winning Polish company!

2010-10-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Kitagawa Utamaro and Donald Judd at Ikon

2010-09-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Ikon's new exhibitions open on 21 September!

In the First Floor Galleries Ikon presents a survey of woodblock prints by 18th century Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro from the collection of the British Museum. This exhibition, co-curated by British artist Julian Opie, focuses on Utamaro's masterfully composed studies of women, known as bijinga.

In the Second Floor Galleries Ikon shows the work of Donald Judd, widely regarded as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. This is the first major exhibition in the UK dedicated exclusively to Judd's furniture and related drawings.

Ikon's Tower Room houses a video work by Cuban-American artist Anthony Goicolea. Tension builds in Nail Biter (2002) and an everyday, nervous habit unfolds into a sinister portrait.

Exhibitions continue to 14 November.

New show at Wolverhampton Art Gallery: Afghanistan

2010-09-16T02:09:00.000-07:00

Afghanistan
Thur 23 Sept 5pm - 8pm

Continuing Wolverhampton Art Gallery's presentation of work around the theme of conflict, Afghanistan explores artists’ reflections and visual responses to the people, landscape and politics of the country.

Friends, family and colleagues welcome. First drink free of charge on presentation of this invite.

Launch event

3.30 - 4.30pm
Join us for a panel discussion around the Afghanistan exhibition.

5.30pm - 6.30pm
Artist Gerald Laing discusses his work in the exhibition Pop Protest: Art for an Anxious Age.

Food
The cafe will be open between 4.30pm - 6.30pm for

pre-event dining. Food is available to pre-order only. For a menu and to secure your table please call 01902 552055.

Photography Walkabout
Sat 9 Oct 12pm - 2pm
A guided photography walk around Wolverhampton City Centre to take photographs on the theme of the Afghanistan exhibition - landscape, people and politics.

Image: Former Teahouse in a Park next to Afghan Exhibition of Economic and Social Achievements in the Shah Shahid District of Kabul © Simon Norfolk (2001) Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with funds from the Arts Council Lottery

Walsall's Word Cloud

2010-09-16T01:27:00.000-07:00

Artist Simon Poulter will develop Walsall's Word Cloud which will be on display in the gallery's window box throughout November and December.

To join in, all you have to do is think of up to five words that come into your mind about Walsall and then email them to ioannoui@walsall.gov.uk, text them to 07734731992, contribute by visiting their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter (please use #walsallwords)

To see the cloud grow online please go to:
www.thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk/walsallwords

Here are some suggestions: Saddlers, Yam-Yam, Arboretum, Mr Sizzle, Illuminations......

In Town Without My Car Day!

2010-09-16T01:05:00.000-07:00

"British culture in a workplace" workshops

2010-05-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

Do you know....

...how to write a good cv and personal statement? How to read job advert? How to operate in British workplace? What do you need to know and how to act?

You will find answers for all those questions at workshops about British culture and individual consultation about employment, cv writing and employment path, organised by PEA.

The workshop will take place in Carrs Lane (Birmingham B4 7SX) on Saturday, 8th May at 1.30pm- 4.30pm.

The screening of "Katyń" at Polish Club

2010-05-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

The screening of “Katyń” will launch PEA's monthly event where the best Polish films will be shown in real cinema atmosphere.
The screening will take place on 9th May at 2 pm in Polish Club (Bordesley street, Birmingham B5 5PH). Free entry.