Selfridges Birmingham, The Bullring, Upper Mall East Birmingham, B5 4BP
For store opening times and map visit Selfridges Birmingham

To coincide with Osman Yousefzada’s installation at Selfridges Birmingham, Infinity Pattern 1, Ikon presents an associated off-site exhibition and art trail at the store.

The exhibition reflects Osman’s practice as a multidisciplinary artist, drawing upon a rich mix of contemporary European art, the crossing of continental and cultural borders and his experiences of growing up in multicultural Birmingham. Osman shows new poetry, film, sculptures and screenprints, the latter depicting “anti-submissive figures, agitators that sleep with snakes, showing their tongues as weapons, descendants of gods, demons and,  jinns”. These prints feature as part of a larger series in which the artist explores the idea that brown bodies are also defiant and should not be seen as a model minority.

The art trail, running throughout Selfridges Birmingham, responds to themes found within Infinity Pattern 1 and presents work by three Birmingham artists, Hira Butt, Farwa Moledina and Maryam Wahid, informed by the experience of migration. Map available in-store.

Hira Butt’s work explores Pakistani women’s lives within their communities and is shaped by her personal experience and conversations with others on the nature of marriage and married life. Her recent sculptural pieces, Dhee Rani (2018) and Dhee Kahani (2021) raise serious questions about traditional roles assumed by women.

Farwa Moledina’s work considers the lived experiences of Muslim women, with a focus on the way they have been marginalised, even “erased”, throughout history. No one is neutral here (2019) comprises two large digital prints on sheer polyester.

Maryam Wahid shows a series of self-portraits titled Women from the Pakistani Diaspora in England (2018), exploring the identity of the artist’s mother as an 18-year-old woman of Pakistani origin who emigrated to the United Kingdom.

Osman has also collaborated with Selfridges to produce an exclusive product range, inspired by Infinity Pattern 1.

Osman Yousefzada’s Infinity Pattern 1 was co-commissioned by Selfridges and Ikon.