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Visual Arts
Daniel Meadows:
Early Photographic Works
Library of Birmingham, until Sun 17 August
One of the most influential figures to emerge from
the new wave of British independent photography
in the 1970s, Daniel Meadows is best known for
his landmark Free Photographic Omnibus project.
The project saw Meadows convert a double decker
bus into a darkroom and living space and head
out on a ten thousand-mile odyssey across
Britain, during the course of which he photographed
almost one thousand people from
twenty-two towns. The result was an astonishing
record of urban society in the UK, with Meadows
further adding to his project’s relevance by interviewing
and writing about his subjects.
Alongside examples from his Omnibus project,
the exhibition also features Butlins At Filey and
June Street, two other renowned bodies of work
by Meadows.
The Library of Birmingham is currently in the
process of acquiring Meadows’ entire photography
archive.
100 Days: The Rwandan
Genocide Twenty Years Later
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry,
until Thurs 30 April, 2015
The statistics connected to the atrocities which
took place in Rwanda two decades ago make for
shocking reading. During the one hundred-day
conflict in 1994, precipitated by the shooting
down of a plane carrying the Rwandan and
Burundian president, eight hundred thousand
people were murdered and five hundred thousand
women raped. As a result of the rapes, an estimated
twenty thousand children were born.
This stark and sobering exhibition explores the
origins, duration and aftermath of one of the darkest
periods in Africa’s history, addressing the subject
of sexual violence by examining concepts of
survival, bravery, acceptance and empowerment.
The display makes use of photographic, digital
and installation works from a selection of international
contemporary artists to give voice to the
women who lived through the conflict.
Image credit: Saida in Green, 2000 by Hassan Hajjaj © the artist / Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
Art Fund Collection of Middle Eastern Photography at the V&A and the British Museum.
True To Life? New Photography From The Middle East
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Sat 7 June - Sun 2 November
The question of authenticity lies at the heart of this new exhibition by photographers from
the Middle East, with viewers invited to explore the issue of what’s real, what’s staged
and what’s imaginary in the photos on display. Works on show are by both established
and emerging photographers, and include a selection of loaned photos from the British
and Victoria & Albert museums, as well as from Birmingham’s own collection.
Commenting on the exhibition, Rebecca Bridgman, Curator of Islamic & South Asian Art
at Birmingham Museums, said: “We’re delighted to be displaying this incredible collection
of photography to our visitors. The exhibition showcases one of the most exciting
artistic mediums emerging from the Middle East, providing an insight into the region’s
rapidly-evolving social and political landscapes.”
Lasting Impressions: 20th Century Portrait Prints
The Barber Institute, Birmingham, Fri 6 June - Sun 28 September
Printmaking as an artform has had a chequered past. Although once highly regarded, by
the early twentieth century technological changes had severely compromised its status -
so much so, in fact, that it was viewed merely as a
process of reproduction rather than as art.
In response to this situation, numerous artists revived
the discipline’s traditional techniques, with later-twentieth
century work becoming ever more experimental
and unorthodox, often with dramatic results.
Featuring everything from etchings to a plasticine
print, Lasting Impressions brings together works that
document the renaissance of the portrait print, from
the early twentieth century to the present day. Along
the way, the exhibition takes a look at how artists have
used different print processes to convey the personalities
and circumstances of such colourful sitters as
Quentin Crisp, Lucian Freud, Frank Bruno, Robert
Plant - and even an entire House of Commons!
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