Nook Gallery is creating space for Birmingham’s artists.
Why doesn’t Birmingham get the cultural credit it deserves? Despite a rich creative community, its artists are often overlooked — not least by the city itself. When you picture cities famous for their art, Birmingham doesn’t compete with Paris, Madrid, Florence, or even New York. Sadly, the ongoing rat problem gets more headlines than the city’s creatives – and for a city that attracted Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise, the media attention always seems unfairly negative. In contrast, cities like Manchester fuel their artistic reputation by aggressively promoting themselves and their talents. Let’s face it, Birmingham’s approach to art and its artists could be a lot better.
For the last year, Nook Gallery, on Institute Road, Kings Heath, has been reversing this trend. Enter leather goods maker Gosia Weber, 45, from Gliwice, Poland, and her partner, Kings Heath’s own Darren Whitcombe, 48. From behind an easy-to-miss blue door, they’ve taken it upon themselves to champion the city’s artists. Nook is a patchwork of styles and media – everything from models of Birmingham cinemas to prints, paintings, and pottery.
They explain the idea behind Nook was to provide exhibition space for local artists and to help them make the leap from emerging to professional status.
Building a Community
Why choose Kings Heath? “It’s where we live. You’ve got Kings Heath, you’ve got Moseley. Stirchley is on the rise, but it’s been on the rise for the last 100 years,” says Darren.
“We exhibit work from 57 artists – 75% of them are local. But we’re open to showcasing great work, no matter where it’s from,” he continues.
“We decided to bring contemporary craft to Birmingham as there was nothing of the sort,” Gosia says.
For example, Nook stocks her handmade leather bags and exhibits work by among others, Sarah Leigh, a maker of lighting shades, and Clare Hewitt, a Pictorialist photographer in the style of Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen.
They explain that Nook is a gallery where anyone can show their work. By contrast, most of Birmingham’s few remaining galleries focus on established professionals and showcase conceptual art unlikely to hang on anyone’s living room wall. Many of these spaces are now closing.
Challenging Birmingham’s Artistic Vacuum
As Birmingham lacks an art and craft fair, Darren says, it fails to capture artists travelling the country. He maintains local artists are discouraged from taking a national or even a global view.
“One thing I see across the country is there’s usually a place where artists can gravitate,” he says.
“There’s some sort of shadow that sits over Birmingham, and it affects all disciplines.”
He explains that Manchester has former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher championing its creative scene. Without a Gallagher of its own, Birmingham gets drowned out at the national level. The lack of local government support doesn’t help.
“It’s not because the council went bankrupt – that’s a fairly recent thing,” says Gosia. “There’s a lack of a positive attitude across a much longer timescale.”
She adds that while the city’s multicultural centres are focused on community activities like dancing, singing or even cooking, nobody in these locations is discussing or exhibiting contemporary art.
“I don’t think it’s a lack of artists. There’s no real space where ideas can flow, where people can work together, or where artists can truly connect,” she adds. Nook aims to address this by being approachable and open-minded.
“If we like somebody’s work, we will invite them to exhibit,” Darren says. “We have open calls. We’re open to different styles. We go with gut feelings.”
New Media
How challenging is it running a bricks-and-mortar store given the impact social media is having on the high street?
“There’s probably less than 1% of Birmingham that know we exist. You could probably even say 1% of King’s Heath as well. I’m still having people coming in going, ‘I live four doors down, and I didn’t know you were here.’”
“Our social media has grown quite organically over the last nine months. It seems like it’s happening in the right way – authentically,” says Darren. “We have really lovely comments from people.”
They’re a big hit with their customers, too. Instagram comments praise the artists, the shows, and Darren’s guided tours – tara_harris_art says: “If you are in Kings Heath and you want to marvel and revel in art, visit this incredible exhibition.” Likewise, emma_woollley_artist praises them for doing “an awesome job!”
She’s Electric
Movie enthusiasts know cinema is dying – global releases are a fraction of what they were, and international box office is down. Gen Z are all streaming Netflix on their phones. Locally, matters aren’t much better – movie lovers will be aware of the issues facing the campaign to save the Electric Cinema.
Yet, Nook has some good news for the city’s depressed cineastes – Gosia and Darren have reopened the Cosy Cinema that previously occupied their site.
“We run more or less monthly movie nights – which was one of the very first things we realised we could do when we came to this space,” says Gosia.
“Initially it was a nice idea – let’s just watch a film together with a group of friends,” says Darren. “But it’s grown into everybody’s favourite moment of the month.”
“Customers ask what we’re showing. And we always have a discussion after,” Darren says. “They trust us to put on something special and make a night of it.”
Screenings aren’t just popular fare, either. They recently hosted Egyptian director (and Birmingham resident) Khaled El-Hagar’s 2019 film Shihana – about the struggles of two children after their mother joined Isis.
“I’m a skateboarder,” Darren adds. “We’ve been involved with the skate community as well. We had a skateboarding exhibition and we’ve shown a few skate films.”
Working in a New Medium
Has it been plain sailing bring arts-entrepreneurism to the heart of Kings Heath and the city’s creative community?
“Generally, no,” says Darren. “We did one event on a cold Sunday night and misjudged it — only a few people came, despite all the wine and snacks.”
“There’s a misconception that galleries don’t add value — that they just take a big cut,” Gosia adds. There’s a huge amount of work behind the scenes. It’s important for artists to recognise why having gallery support matters.
“I didn’t originally plan to involve painters and fine artists — it’s not my area of expertise. But when we couldn’t find a tenant for one of the studio spaces, we turned it into a temporary exhibition space, and it worked.”
“We’re a good team, which was great to discover,” she adds. “Communication was a challenge, partly because, as an artist, I’m used to working independently. It’s very different when you have to communicate with a lot of people — especially other artists.”
“Trusting our instincts has been important,” Darren adds. “Putting yourself out there takes bravery, and it’s easy to lose confidence. But you usually know if you’re getting it right or wrong.”
“My aim has always been to support professional artists and makers. I’ve never had access to a real professional support network where I could be challenged and grow. I wanted to create opportunities for others in the same situation,” Gosia adds.
“I’m really enjoying running Nook, and this feels creative.”
Nook Gallery and Makers Studio, 25c Institute Road, Kings Heath, B14 7EG
Email: nook@nook-gallery.co.uk | Tel: +44 7763 992091 | Instagram: @nook_kingsheath
Lee Russell Wilkes 