From a vital exploration of missing histories to an immersive virtual reality adventure into rave culture, discover the best exhibitions you can see across Birmingham in 2025.
Featured image credit: RBINS
Artist Christopher Samuel explores themes of stigma, belonging and agency in a new exhibition about stories missing from history at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
Through nine newly recorded interviews for the city of Birmingham’s collection, Watch Us Lead highlights the experiences of disabled people of colour in Birmingham, particularly Black individuals, combining these stories with stained glass and drawings by Christopher that reflect significant moments in the lives of the individuals featured.
The Bothy is a permanent outdoor installation set in the Minerva Apothecary Garden on the Grand Union Canalside, and is part of Whittle’s long-term artist project with Grand Union titled Congregation: Creating Dangerously.
Created by British-Barbadian artist Alberta Whittle, along with Birmingham-based women’s organisations and MJM Bespoke, the structure is modelled on a traditional Scottish both, which provides temporary, free shelter for anyone to use, and is intended as a place for people to rest and take in views of the sky and surrounding land.
Presented by Midlands Arts Centre and Sampad South Asian Arts and Heritage, Sari Stories shares joyful and moving reflections on the sari, collated through an open call by individuals across the Midlands.
From climbing mountains and running marathons in saris, to hand crafted saris passed down through family, to expressions of gender and queer identity explored through the beautiful material, this exhibition weaves together a rich collection of stories.
Founded in 1880, The Lapworth Museum of Geology is one of the oldest geological museums in the UK.
Housed in the Edwardian Grade II listed Aston Webb Building at the University of Birmingham, the institution houses collections dedicated to everything from dinosaurs and volcanoes to diamonds and fossils, offering a fascinating insight into how life began and changed through time.
Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero showcases the solo achievements and global awards of the rock icon, as well as the album art of the original Black Sabbath lineup.
The free-to-enter exhibition celebrates Ozzy’s most prestigious international honours, including Grammy Awards, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame accolades, MTV awards, Hollywood Walk of Fame and Birmingham Walk of Stars honours and a selection of his platinum and gold discs, which recognise millions of global record sales.
Whether you’re a calligraphy fanatic or more of a fairweather fan, the Pen Museum is a somewhat unlikely but fun afternoon out for all ages.
During the Victorian era, making steel pen nibs was a major industry, with 129 companies employing 8,000 workers across Birmingham. Throughout the museum, you’ll find a wide variety of objects that tell the story of the city’s pen trade, with a range of interactive activities along the way, including writing with quills and ink, using graphology to analyse your handwriting and even the opportunity to make your own nib.
This prestigious, world-renowned exhibition, on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, features exceptional images which capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world. Adult tickets are priced at £8, concessions are £4 and under 21s go for free.
Step into a world of prehistoric giant animals in this immersive, family-friendly exhibition, featuring life-sized 3D models, nearly complete fossil skeletons, hands-on activities and digital projections at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Adult tickets are priced at £15.50, but children up to the age of 15 go for free.
Venturing a little out of the city for this one, In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats, which enjoyed an acclaimed run at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery last year, is heading to Warwick Arts Centre.
The virtual reality experience is described as a cinematic documentary adventure, inviting groups of four to share the same virtual space and interact together as rave culture pioneers.
Following the VR experience, there is a small exhibition containing archive and other audio-visual materials exploring the British Acid House scene to enjoy at your leisure.
- Words:
- Bradley Lengden
- Published on:
- Mon 6 Oct 2025
Ikon presents the first major survey exhibition of Guyanese-British artist Donald Locke (1930– 2010). Locke was born and raised in Guyana and first moved to the UK in the 1950s to study at Bath Academy of Art and Edinburgh School of Art. He then lived between London and Georgetown for the next twenty years, before settling in the United States in the late 1970s.
The exhibition at Ikon Gallery explores the development of his work across Guyana, the UK and the United States over five decades, from the late 1960s to the early 2000s. It features over eighty works, from early ceramics that evoke human and natural forms to mixed-media sculptures and monochromatic black paintings from the 1970s. Also included are several large-scale paintings from the 1990s that incorporate found images along with ceramic, metal and wood elements