Ahead of the opening of Forward: New Art from Birmingham, artist Ally Standing talks to Ikon about her art practice, what she’s exhibiting and her thoughts on being an artist in Birmingham. The first in a series of blog posts – stay tuned to hear more from artists participating in Forward. A series of artist video interviews, filmed at the artists’ studios will be released over the course of the exhibition and you can watch them on our YouTube channel here.

By artist Larissa E. Shaw

Art at HMP Grendon, the annual art exhibition was held at the prison on 27 November. The exhibition was organised by inmates of HMP Grendon under the supervision of artst-in-residence Edmund Clark. In addition to the men as well as the staff, the event was visited by over 65 invited guests. The event, held at the conference centre of the prison, is a unique opportunity for the inmates to meet other artists, curators, educators and the public and discuss their art and their time at HMP Grendon.

We need your support!

Still looking for that extra special gift? Why not consider giving the gift of art this Christmas! Ikon works with exhibiting artists to produce a range of affordable limited editions. Both established and emerging artists make work for sale and all profits support Ikon’s charitable and educational programme.

With less than one week to go until the Winter Craft Market, we are excited to announce one of our stall holders, Jo McChesney, an artist printmaker and member of Leicester Society of Artists.  Our Communications & Development Assistant, Heather, had a chat with Jo to find out more.

Interested in dreams and memories? Explore the Dreamboat Showcase open 7–11 November, 11am–5pm Wednesday–Saturday and Sunday 11am–3pm.

From Ikon’s exhibition programme and events, through to Ikon Shop, we always aim to support both emerging and established artists and creatives. Showcasing the best of local Birmingham makers, Ikon Gallery hosts a Winter Craft Market on 15 November, set in the stunning exhibition of Polly Apfelbaum. This will be a perfect chance to find unique Christmas presents, and you can enjoy 20% discount in Ikon Shop across a range of products.

HMP Cooking and Equality come from M James’ Crime, Love and Literature, a collection of a total of 21 poems, which received a Platinum Award at this year’s Koestler Awards.

By Ikon Youth Programme member Moudie Nyamadzawo

With the days drawing darker and the application for stall-holders deadline soon approaching, we are in full swing with preparations for this year’s Winter Craft Market.

32 artworks and written pieces submitted by inmates of HMP Grendon for the Koestler Trust annual arts award have received awards or commendations. This includes 20 commendations, 3 Bronze Awards, 4 Silver Awards, 3 Gold Awards, and 2 Platinum Awards for a matchstick model of Land Rover Defender 110 by Philip and a poetry collection entitled Crime, Love and Literature by Moses.

The new issue of the Prison Service Journal is a special edition, focusing on: The Arts in Prison. It features a review of In Place of Hate, Edmund Clark’s exhibition at Ikon Gallery, by Professor Yvonne Jewkes; a review of Edmund Clark’s residency at HMP Grendon by Birmingham City University’s Elizabeth Yardley and Dan Rusu; as well as an interview with Edmund Clark by Michael Fiddler of University of Greenwich. The issue is available to download on the Centre for Crime and Justice website.

Ming de Nasty is currently artist in residence on Ikon’s Slow Boat. We asked her about LADYWOOD –  a series of portraits of female refugees that are displayed around the Soho Loop. 

Over two days on 14 – 15 August HMP Grendon saw In Place of Hate, Edmund Clark’s installation originally exhibited at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham from 6 December 2017 until 11 March 2018, presented to the prison inmates, staff, as well as invited guests.

On Wednesday 25 July, artist and Ladywood resident Maral Mamaghanizadeh is leading a workshop on Ikon’s Slow Boat.

Read more about Oliver’s work experience week at Ikon.

From 14–17 June, Ikon hosted The Migrant Festival; a four day festival fusing themes of migration, fashion, art and music. Curated by fashion designer Osman Yousefzada, it was organised to coincide with his exhibition at Ikon Being Somewhere Else (6–29 June 2018).

This catalogue accompanied artist Edmund Clark’s exhibition In Place of Hate at Ikon Gallery. Clark was Ikon’s artist in residence at Europe’s only entirely therapeutic prison, HMP Grendon, in Buckinghamshire. This exhibition is the culmination of his residency, combining photography, video and installation to explore ideas of visibility, representation, trauma and self-image and address how prisoners and the criminal justice system are perceived and discussed by the public, politicians and media in Britain today.

My Shadow’s Reflection is part of a body of work made by Edmund Clark as artist in residence in Europe’s only entirely therapeutic prison environment, HMP Grendon.

Read more about the workshops with Glenn Howells Architects, which involved making models reminiscent of the ones that appear in the Langlands & Bell exhibition.

British artist Edmund Clark is Ikon’s artist-in-residence (2014–2018) at Europe’s only entirely therapeutic prison, HMP Grendon, in Buckinghamshire. In Place of Hate (Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, 6 Dec 2017 – 11 Mar 2018) is the culmination of his residency, comprising photography, video and installation.Clark, an artist with a longstanding interest in incarceration and its effects, has worked with inmates, prison officers and therapeutic staff, immersed himself in the prison routines and taken part in wing community meetings, a key element of life at Grendon. Clark’s work is shaped by his engagement with issues of censorship, security and control. He cannot make images that reveal the identity of the prisoners or details of the security infrastructure and so his response has been to create work that explores ideas of visibility, representation, trauma and self-image. These themes influence how prisoners and the criminal justice system are perceived by the public, politicians and media and are above all central to the experience of the men and staff engaged in the therapeutic process at Grendon.

Read more about Pete James’s, visit to the West Midlands Police Museum.

Anna McNay writes: “Edmund Clark isn’t one to pick easy subjects for his work. As an editorial photographer, he found himself working with teenage fathers and elderly prisoners, and this set him on his route to working with terror suspects, prisoners in Guantánamo Bay, and, most recently, a three-year residency at the UK’s only wholly therapeutic prison, HMP Grendon, where he worked with the inmates to produce four new bodies of challenging work, each employing methods new to his practice, which are now on show at the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham.”