Ikon opens hands-on ceramics show Break the Mould

Ikon Gallery will open a hands-on ceramics exhibition on Wednesday, inviting visitors to watch artists at work and try making things themselves.

Break the Mould runs from 30 September 2026 to 21 February 2027. It is all about making and experimenting, with artists creating work in the gallery during the show and a programme of workshops for visitors.

The artists

Established and emerging artists taking part include Jack Ky Tan, Halima Cassell and Roo Dhissou, who will all be working in the gallery during the exhibition.

Halima Cassell is known for her carved sculptures in clay and other materials, which combine geometric patterns with influences from African and Islamic design. Jack Ky Tan's work often explores social rules and how people live together.

Balraj Khanna

From 29 October, Ikon will also present the first major survey exhibition of the painter Balraj Khanna, who died in 2024. It runs until 28 February 2027.

The exhibition marks 25 years since Khanna's commission for Birmingham Hippodrome, Astral Dance, the colourful safety curtain that audiences see before shows.

About Ikon

Ikon is a free contemporary art gallery in the former Oozells Street School in Brindleyplace, a Victorian building designed by the architect John Henry Chamberlain. It was founded in 1964 and has shown the work of many leading artists, often before they became widely known.

Why clay

Ceramics have seen a surge of interest in recent years, helped by television programmes and the popularity of pottery classes. Birmingham has its own history of working with clay, from brick making to the tiles and terracotta that decorate many of the city's Victorian buildings.

Visiting

Ikon is open from Tuesday to Sunday and admission is free. Workshop details are on the gallery's website.