 | | Faye Claridge - Silent Portrait, 2005 |
Cutting edge art will be on display in free exhibitions in the Jewellery Quarter in December. The contemporary art festival, featuring local, regional and international artists, will celebrate the 'artist duo' - from Gilbert and George to the ever-increasing number of young artists who are working together rather than going solo. An art market will run throughout the festival, allowing audiences and collectors to meet artists and buy or commission work. Based at the Kettle Works in the Jewellery Quarter, over 60 artists will be represented at the market, which is open to painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers and digital artists based in the UK.
 | | Jane Anderson - Thai School Children |
The challenging exhibition, called 'New Art Birmingham' will run from Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 December including one inside St Paul's Church, which forms the centrepiece of St Paul's Square, the last Georgian square in the city. Fertile territory Creative consultant to New Art Birmingham, David Gryn, said: "Birmingham is full of promise and opportunity, and I believe it is fertile territory for future art developments and growth.
 | | Simon and Tom Bloor: what filthy bombastic spin |
"To engage any community to be at the cutting edge of art, there needs to a vibrant culture of creating at the source. New Art Birmingham will encourage local and regional artists that they can be based in Birmingham, and the art world will start to come to them." Visitors will be surrounded by the best of emerging creative talent, along with established international artists. Birmingham artists include Simon and Tom Bloor, Faye Claridge and Jane Anderson and international artists include Doyle & Mallinson and Lowe & Thompson - whose works you can see on this page. Exhibitions
 | | Lowe and Thompson - Demon |
The Artist with Two Brains, curated by Chris Hammond, will celebrate the phenomenon of the artist duo, from Gilbert and George to the ever-increasing number of young artists who have chosen a dual identity over individual practice. The exhibition will chart the sudden rise in partnership practices, featuring those that pioneered the phenomenon and some of the newer artist partnerships that are emerging. GLOBALOCAL, curated by Kenny Schachter, will document 40 years of contemporary art, placing the work of Birmingham based artists in an international and historical context. It will be housed in Aquinas House. | 
