THE MIDLANDS ESSENTIAL ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

Visual Arts
Pit Profiles
Coalbrookdale Gallery, Ironbridge, Shropshire,
Fri 21 June - Tues 31 December
Links between coal mining and art are here
explored via a series of miners’ portraits and personal
stories which have been brought together to
offer an insight into colliery life in the twenty-first
century. A joint venture by the National Coal
Mining Museum for England and Arts Council
England, the exhibition features contemporary
photographs of colliery workers by Anton Want
and drawings of pit workers by H Andrew Freeth.
Bert Hackett: The Gemini Years
mac - Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham,
Sat 29 June - Sun 1 September
Under the name of Gemini, caricature artist Bert
Hackett spent forty years entertaining readers at
the Birmingham Post with his sharp, satirical commentary.
This exhibition, bringing together a collection
of his cartoons from across those
decades, celebrates both the man and his work,
and seeks to acknowledge the significant contribution
he made to the practice of journalism in
Birmingham.
About Face
The Barber Institute, Birmingham,
until Sun 1 September
Featuring European masterpieces from London's
National Gallery, this unique exhibition is complemented
by a stunning selection of works lent by
HM The Queen from the Royal Collection Trust.
These include miniatures by Hilliard and Isaac
Oliver and works on paper by Van Dyck and
Charles Le Brun, predominantly featuring figures
from the English and French courts.
Tipping Point
Wolverhampton Art Gallery, until Sat 6 July
Circulation Desk - Lori Nix and the Catherine Edelman Gallery
The way in which artists respond to key issues surrounding climate change provides the
focus for this new exhibition. A specially commissioned series of large-scale sculptures
by Gerry Judah - in association with international development agency Christian Aid - is
featured in a body of work presented by eleven international artists. Works by Merel
Karhof, Katie Paterson, John Kelly, Heather and Ivan Morison, HeHe, Darren Almond,
Virginia Colwell, Anya Gallaccio and Lori Nix (whose Circulation Desk is pictured above)
also feature, as does a piece entitled Heinzmann, Uni-solar, Trek by Turner Prize-winner
Simon Starling.
Looking In Wonderland
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry, Sat 22 June - Sun 8 September
British illustrator, humourist and political satirist Sir John Tenniel was a prominent figure
in nineteenth century England. He was known mostly for his work as principal cartoonist
for Punch magazine, and as the artist who illustrated two of Lewis Carroll’s best-known
titles - Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass.
This Graphicus Touring Exhibition not only features an array of Tenniel’s work but also
introduces the viewer to some of the characters that have delighted readers both young
and old since their conception over one hundred years ago, including the White Rabbit,
the Mad Hatter and the March Hare.
Photo credit: John Tenniel
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