Visual Arts

Visual Arts previews from around the region

Krištof Kintera

Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, until Sun 22 November

“I am aware of our responsibility for drastic changes of climate, extinctions of species and all kinds of living organisms,” says Krištof Kintera, a Czech artist widely acclaimed for his sculptural, often kinetic works. “And therefore we’ll face, sooner or later, fatal problems. It is our shame; it is my shame.” This Ikon exhibition, installed ac ro ss both galleries and also expanding into the public realm, is the most comprehensive presentation of Kintera’s work ever to be mounted in the UK. Featuring new, recent and archival pieces, the show focuses on present-day ‘apocalyptic environmental issues’, but manages to do so with an evident sense of humour, albeit a dark one.

Visual Arts

Fabric: Touch And Identity

Compton Verney Art Gallery, Warwickshire, until Sun 3 January 2021

Still available to view at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery are pre-lockdown exhibitions Birmingham Revolutions: Power To The People and Dressed To The Nines. Voting reform, nuclear disarmament, trade unionism, anti-racism and human rights all feature in Power To The People, a presentation exploring the city’s vibrant and vari ed histo ry of protest and activism. Dressed To The Nines, meanwhile, focuses on the subject of dressing up and going

Thirteen Ways Of Looking

Contemplating big questions such as where art belongs, where it’s experienced and who it’s addressing, Thirteen Ways Of Looking brings together the work of (yes, you guessed it) 13 artists and curators. The exhibition takes its inspiration from a 1917 poem by Wallace Stevens en titled T hirteen Ways Of Looking At A Blackbird. Stevens’ 13-verse work presents multiple perspectives and viewpoints of the bird. In out. Covering the period from around 1850 up to the present day, the exhibition highlights some of the changes which have occurred in the types of clothing worn for special occasions. Garments featured in the show include a 1930s beaded evening dress, an embroidered court uniform which belon ge d to Neville Chamberlain, and cocktail dresses by Christian Dior and Norman Hartnell. Oh, and shoes. Lots and lots of shoes... so doing, it highlights the importance of flexibility and fluidity when creating space for multiple forms of experience, knowledge and understanding. The Herbert exhibition very much borrows from the poet’s approach, presenting international, multicultural, multi-faith and fem inist pers pectives which shift like those of the blackbird in Stevens’ poem. The ways in which clothes and textiles conceal, reveal and seduce through the lenses of art, design, fashion, film and dance is explored in this ‘playful and provocative’ exhibition. Boasting works by Vivienne Westwood, Raisa Kabir and C athy de Monchaux, the display also features a new immersive installation by Reiko Sudo. Subjects explored in the show include the role of fabric in shaping and communicating identity, and the part it plays in expressing sensuality and

Birmingham Revolutions Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, until Sunday 28 February

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry, Fri 2 October - Sunday 13 December

sexuality in a variety of different cultures.

20:20 Twenty Years Of Collecting Contemporary Art

New Art Gallery, Walsall, until Thurs 24 December

New Art Gallery’s celebration of its 20th anniversary continues with this major exhibition. Exploring themes including the changing urban landscape, the Black Country, the impact of globalisation and people & places, the show brings together works of contemporary art collected over the last 20 years and spanning a wide range of media. Many of the included pieces have been produced by artists who have featured in the gallery’s exhibit ions prog ramme at one time or another.