JINDRICH STREIT – SOVINEC

Centrala
Fazeley St, Birmingham, B5 5RT
Until 30 March

Czech Documentary photographer and ex-primary school teacher Jindrich Streit has been photographing the people of his home village Sovinec, in the north of the Czech Republic, for over 40 years.

Imprisoned in the early 80s by the authorities for taking unsettling images of the brutal living conditions, including photographing a party meeting where people were asleep, he lost his teaching job and had to join his friends who worked on the local collective farm.

His photographs reveal the intimate relationship with the villagers and, despite the treatment towards him, he persevered with his photographic work and opened his house to the local community with a  gallery for contemporary art on the first floor. Today it is a remarkable cultural centre that attracts work from around the world.

Images Season @LibraryofBham

Conveyed in words, captured on film or conjured in your mind, images stand as perhaps the most universal form of human communication. The Images Season, hosted in Birmingham’s dynamic library building, explores how texts, photographs, diagrams and illustrations can express ideas, rouse passions and fire the imagination.

Lost Stories

Part of the large scale participatory art initiative, Inside Out has arrived in Birmingham. A group of Birmingham based photographers have launched Lost Stories which focuses on some of the forgotten voices of the city – the aging generation. The group have met with, photographed and interviewed over 40 participants, whose portraits now line the walls of Navigation Street in Birmingham city centre.

SOME CITIES

Grabbing your phone, snapping a pic and uploading it on to your chosen social media site has become as everyday as eating dinner (and sometimes we get to see plenty of photos of those too). But if your creative endeavours stretch further than a snap of your cat looking cute then Some Cities is a new initiative that aims to equip photographers of all abilities with the skills to capture stories through images and share them via a dedicated online platform at www.some-cities.org.uk.

FROM DARKROOM TO DIGITAL – Wolverhampton Art Gallery

FROM DARKROOM TO DIGITAL
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Until 15 February, 2014
wolverhampton.gov.uk | @WolvArtGallery

Over the years Wolverhampton has proven itself as a hub of artistic genius. From the ‘Father of photography’ Oscar Rejlander’s remarkable work, to the ever adaptable Bennett Clark’s portraits, the city has contributed a lot to the world of photography.

PAiL – Open Photography Exhibition at The Public

What’s The Focus? is an exhibition of the best photographs submitted in response to an open call. Photographers willing to be exhibited at The Public are welcomed to submit their work. The challenge is your photographic response to the following quote by Harold Pinter: Apart from the known and the unknown, what else is there? Pictures should be sent by Monday, 30th of September. The successful works will be displayed during the exhibition at The Public. For more information and to apply go to www.pailwestmidlands.co.uk.

Urban Coffee Co’s new exhibition

Urban Coffee Company is promoting the work of up-and-coming creatives across the West Midlands with a series of in-store exhibitions throughout the year.

Lomography Birmingham Pop Up Store in Selfridges

Lomography is coming to Birmingham on the 23rd January and sticking around for four whole months of analogue fun in their newly adopted home at Selfridges and to celebrate the opening of the all new Pop Up Store Area Culture Guide has teamed up with lomo to offer readers the chance to take part in two photography workshops free of charge.

The Lomo Roadshow BIRMINGHAM competition

The kooky world of Lomography is coming to Birmingham, heading our way with loads of cameras, piles of film and goodies galore for three hours of photography fun.

Creative Careers Festival – this week!

This Friday 28 January 2011, mac Birmingham will be the venue hosting a range of exciting FREE workshops at  Bright Space’s Creative Careers Festival . The workshops are open to anyone between the ages of 13-18 year old. We’ve got details of the FASHION & PHOTOGRAPHY workshops happening…