University News Last updated 09 April
A new gallery founded by two School of Art graduates is set to open in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter.
Stryx Gallery will open its doors on Saturday 13 April, selling a carefully curated selection of affordable contemporary art by local artists, as well as offering a programme of talks, workshops, and events.
Behind the exciting new venture are graduates Anna Katarzyna Domejko and Karolina Korupczynska.
After graduating from BCU in 2012, Karolina, along with seven other alumni from the School of Art, founded Stryx Minerva Works in Digbeth. Anna soon joined when it became a self-funded gallery with studios and exhibition space for emerging artists in the city.
But the gallery has since evolved to become a diverse non-profit organisation with Arts Council England funding and a second venue, Stryx JQ in the Jewellery Quarter, which opened in 2023.
The alumni are now keen to take a next step in representing Birmingham’s creative talent with the launch of Stryx Gallery.
The gallery’s new commercial offering has grown out of development programmes, including mentoring schemes and residencies, as well as a successful online shop which launched four years ago to sell original artworks and collectable editions from award-winning artists.
The graduates and Co-Directors' vision for the new gallery is that it will enable local talent to not only start, but sustain, successful creative careers in Birmingham.
Anna said: “We want it to be a space where artists can grow. We usually start working with artists through one of our residency or artist development programmes, for which they are paid appropriately, and this is important to us.
“We then typically support them further through our studio provision, online shop and ‘Home Grown’ programme that is focused on developing artists’ professional practice for commercial success.
“Because we are both artists and migrants ourselves, and know the feeling of not belonging, we want the space to be open and welcoming, where people can chat to us and the artists.”
Stryx Gallery will provide an opportunity for people to buy and invest in a carefully curated selection of affordable art from emerging and mid-career artists. Items will include originals, prints, photography, and collectibles, with prices ranging from £30 - £1000.
The new gallery will open with a group exhibition, featuring 10 artists from across the West Midlands, whose practice includes painting, printmaking, and photography. Following this, a new dynamic programme will allow a different artist to exhibit in the space every six months.
Exhibitions will be also accompanied by an active public programme, including a first panel discussion on ‘How to start an art collection’, taking place on Thursday 25 April.
Stryx Gallery opens on Saturday 13 April 2024. You can find it at 90 Vyse Street, Jewellery Quarter, B18 6JZ. It will be open Monday-Saturday, 9am-3pm.