Birmingham Migrant Festival to feature trio of photographers

An event celebrating Birmingham as a city for migration and refuge will feature the art of three local photographers.

Vanley Burke, Ayesha Jones and Maryam Wahid were all asked to work with inner-city communities to share their stories.

The Ikon Migrant Festival will also include talks, music and a family workshop.

The free event is due to run between 17 August and 3 September.

Vanley Burke is known for his photography of African Caribbean people in Post-War Britain.

His exhibition, which has already opened at The Exchange in the city, is called A Gift to Birmingham and features members of a migrants group called Migrant Voice.

Ikon, the Birmingham contemporary art venue which is organising the festival, said Mr Burke had documented the experience of black people in the UK for more than 45 years, and was regarded as "the godfather of Black British photography".

Ikon said Maryam Wahid's work explores identity, womanhood, memory, home and belonging.

Her exhibition is called Dreams of Brum and opens at the Ikon Gallery on 31 August.

It features photographs taken during a series of workshops at Handsworth Library.

Ayesha Jones has created an exhibition called Leave A Light In My Room, which will be on show at the Ikon Gallery between 17 and 20 August.

She was commissioned by Ikon and Birmingham Hospice to take photographs of, and document conversations with, the Erdington Asian Group.

Supported by hospice staff, she spoke to them about ageing and dying.

The annual festival began in 2018 and in 2022 it was organised to coincide with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

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