New Art West Midlands at The BMAG
Showcasing a mixture of the region’s fresh new artistic talent, the work at NAWM aims to create new artistic narratives, whilst challenging those that already exist. Featuring a carefully selected group of recent graduates from a variety of art schools, New Art West Midlands is an incredibly exciting insight into the future of the art world. Artwork featured ranges from painting to installation and manages to show a concoction of different styles and themes. NAWM will begin at the BMAG before moving on to Stoke and Coventry.
Fri 16 Feb – Sun 6 May. Round Room, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3DH. Opens week days 10am-5pm, except Fri 10.30am-5pm. Free.
www.newartwestmidlands.co.uk

Dance day at Centrala ft. all ages dance workshop, exhibition & Hula Hoop Disco
A day of dancing, drawing and discovery to blow out the frozen cobwebs. Ground Control maps exhibition, movement art workshop and, yes, an LED Hula Hoop Disco. See our full preview here
Sat 17 Feb, Centrala, Fazeley Street, Birmingham, Digbeth B5 5RS.

Diaspora Pavilion at Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Showcasing work from last year’s Venice Biennale, Diaspora Pavillion features work from 19 entrants, exploring the reality that the diaspora holds today. By combining the Biennale’s theme of ‘the national pavilion’ with that of the diaspora, Diaspora Pavilion hopes to expose the feelings of displacement and migration within a patriotic space, whilst also creating a new narrative through its location. With each artist chosen as a representative of their country, the pieces on display are exceptional and a real coup for Wolverhampton. The theme also makes way for a monumental set of art and installation, allowing for a truly exquisite and immersive experience.
Sat 10 Feb – Sun 29 Apr. Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield St, Wolverhampton, WV1 1DU. Open every day 10.30am-4.30pm except Sun 11am-4pm. Free. www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk

Wilderness and Lionheart at New Art Gallery Walsall
An Oasis of incredible art in beautiful surrounds, if you haven’t yet come in from the cold and discovered Walsall Gallery it’s well worth your attention this February. Wilderness is amongst three new exhibitions opening at the gallery this month and features paintings, drawings and film installations from an array of artists, showcasing a collection of works that are inspired by, or connected with nature. With contrasting depictions of barren, icy landscapes, and gritty, monumental volcanoes, Wilderness displays our stunning planet in its most authentic states. Also exhibiting is Mike Nelson’s ‘Lionheart’ installation. Having been nominated for the Turner Prize twice, Nelson constitutes a ‘big-name’, yet his name doesn’t usurp his work, as Lionheart proves to be as peculiar as it is intriguing. In direct contrast to Wildernesses expansive works this is a cluttered installation full of animal skins and beer cans.
Wilderness: Fri 2 Feb – Sun 6 May. Lionheart: Fri 2nd Feb – Sun 3rd Jun. New Art Gallery Walsall, Gallery Square, Walsall WS2 8LG.
www.thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk

Culture Feast at Various Venues
Parting with £30 is never easy, but when it guarantees you 7 nights of the cities best cultural events, it really is a genuine bargain. Culture Feast hand-picks a selection of Birmingham’s best events into one creatively jam-packed catalogue, so you don’t have to. Kicking off at Grand Union on Digbeth First Friday and continuing with various events right the way through to May, that’s your next few doses of culture sorted for the spring. With exclusive tours of exhibitions at Digbeth First Friday and Ikon, to exciting Dance shows at the Hippodrome – see our preview of #Je Suis here – and even a beautiful classical recital at Symphony Hall, this spring’s line-up is set to delight. For £30, 7 nights equates to £4.30 per event, a complete steal.
Fri 2 Feb – Wed 23 May. Various venues across Birmingham. Various dates. £30.
www.eventbrite.co.uk

Factory Warhol
For one night only, The Sunflower Lounge will be welcoming a collection of the cities finest upcoming musical and artistic talent to replicate Warhol’s famous Factory studio. By paying homage to the famous artist expect a day of avant-garde, tomfoolery that’s crazy enough to rival the Factory itself. From midday to 6pm there will be gallery exhibits, whilst at night be prepared for an array of live music and DJS. Read our full preview here.
Sat 10 Feb. The Sunflower Lounge. 76 Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham B5 4EG. 12pm-late. £5.
www.ticketlist.co.uk

Suffrage and the Arts at Eastside Projects
In the year that marks 100 years since women were first granted the right to vote, University of Birmingham lecturer Zoё Thomas opens up her research into the suffrage movement and its relationship with the arts. See our full preview https://birminghamwire.co.uk/#!/salon-zo%d1%91-thomas-suffrage-arts-eastside-projects-birmingham
Thu 8 Feb  86 Heath Mill Lane, Birmingham B9 4AR. 6:30pm – 8pm. £4/2 www.eastsideprojects.org

Digbeth First Friday ft Deeper In The Pyramid
Following a sleepy January, the first DFF of the year is ready to go off with a bang. With Centrala, Eastside Projects, Grand Union and Vivid Projects all opening their new exhibitions to the public, there is truly something for everyone. Grand Union is set to exhibit Melanie Jackson and Esther Lee’s ‘Deeper in the Pyramid’ which explores milk as a diverse object with connections to genetics, fertilisation and even technology. This trippy exhibition hopes to challenge our engagement with the mundane, allowing us to fully analyse our surroundings. Jackson’s work is eclectic, chaotic and other-worldly, be prepared for something completely unusual. Alongside this, Vivid Project’s will be hosting a 4-day long exhibition entitled ‘Treeline’. Be sure to swing by to catch a series of works which aims to combine the West Midlands with the gorgeous natural biology of Scandinavia and Wales. Artists and scientists combine in a bid to track the natural flow of organisms whilst hoping to translate this in to beautiful artworks. I don’t quite understand it, but it sounds interesting, and will definitely become more fascinating once a couple of beers have been ingested at Digbeth Dining Club.
Fri 2 Feb (and ongoing). Various venues across Digbeth. Free.
www.digbethfirstfriday.com