Birmingham’s Next Generation of Creatives are Expanding
Brought to you by Punch Records, Gallery37 handpicks 80+ of Birmingham’s uprising young artists to partake in a creative development programme. The programme is split into 9 camps, dedicated to sectors in the creative industry: Music Production, Dance, Vocal Performance, Film, Digital Arts, Visual Arts, Creative Writing, Acting and Photography.
Within just 2 weeks, our stars collaborated and developed upon their craft alongside experienced mentors from the industry and likeminded creatives. This was through masterclasses commissions, residencies and workshops. The outcome at the end of the two weeks was a big showcase, where the creatives unveil their work in front of an audience of hundreds including: family, friends, members of the public and industry members.
BRIG has been delighted to bring their presence into Gallery37 this year, finding it particularly inspiring to see a high amount of creatives from a minority background utilise their craft to create such imaginative outcomes in a short space of time. Here at BRIG, one of our biggest mission statements is to pass the baton onto the younger generation, hearing their stories and teaching them their ancestor’s stories so that race is forever kept on the agenda.
The creatives have been so enjoyable to interact with, hearing their stories and how they got to the stage of wanting to share their craft. As phenomenal and inspiring as they all were for contributing towards such a groundbreaking event, I just had to put in further research of 4 Gallery37 participants that caught my eye in particular. Here are some of the creatives that you need to keep your eye out for, as they will surely be the next generation of creatives making a difference in the modern world.
Lo Williams (LoDesignz): Digital Art
Lo Williams is not only a digital artist, but a jack of all trades. An all-round creative in music and art, she utilises her love for colour into her art work and her business, “LoDesignz” which provides services in product and graphic design. She is also a public speaker and activist, fighting for discrimination and embedding these issues in her work. She was a successful recipient of Bounce Back Programme funding, a collaboration with First Class Foundation and BVSC. She used this to launch “2Extreme4School”, which addressed discrimination against young black children in schools for their hair. She shows a massive amount of pride and frequently pays homage to her black heritage which is truly admirable!
Lo’s work is not afraid to stand out and catch the eye of anyone she passes. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her do her thing at the Gallery37 showcase, certainly not shying away from her over and above approach to do graffiti art across the canal of Centrala.
You can find Lo here: https://www.instagram.com/glowidlo/
Aliyah Begum: Creative Writing
Aliyah is a writer and poet from Birmingham. She is currently about to start her final year at Oxford University, studying English Language and Literature. Outside of her studies, she is highly commended for her poems, associating them with the causes she is passionate about. This includes the Poems to Solve the Climate Crisis
Challenge on Young Poets Network, created in partnership with People Need Nature. She was also the Birmingham Young Poet Laureate 2018-20, commended in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2017 and has had the pleasure of performing on the BBC.
Getting to know Aliyah has been such a delight. The content and delivery of her poems is mind-blowing but what caught my eye in particular was her poem, “call me names”, the was performed on the Gallery37 showcase. Embedding terms from her heritage, she shows her journey in taking pride in her identity.
You can find Aliyah here: https://www.instagram.com/aliyahbegumm/
EbenAP: Music Production
Eben is an 18 year old, uprising music producer. Although they are fully blind, they don’t let that be an obstacle from doing what they love. In order to create the music, they utilise the computer’s voiceovers in order to experiment with different genres whilst adding an electronic feel. I had the pleasure of watching Eben create his music first-hand and seeing his process with the elimination of a sense is so inspiring!
You can find Eben’s work on all streaming platforms under the artist name, “EbenAP”.
You can find Eben here: https://www.instagram.com/ebenapsounds/
Zakariye: Creative Writing
Zakariye is a writer and spoken word artist, and has been writing and performing poetry for over 4 years. The opportunities that he has taken to get his poetry out there are endless, including at Victoria Square as part of the 2022 Commonwealth, on local radio station “Brum Radio” and at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. He was also given the opportunity in 2022 to star in his own short poetry film, “Cages”, shown on the BBC.
Zakariye’s words are hard-hitting, showing obvious pride and appreciation for his culture, religion and his hometown of Birmingham. He also doesn’t shy away from the controversial, modern-day subjects that need to be discussed. We have had the pleasure of Zakariye working with BRIG previously, giving him the opportunity to perform his work at our summit last year. We look forward to hopefully welcoming him on the stage again soon!
You can find Zakariye here: https://www.instagram.com/zakariyyee/
Gallery37 has been an insightful and inspiring moment for all those involved. Opportunities alike these are such a stepping stone in further diversifying the creative industry and a celebration of how bright our creative future is looking. We look forward to seeing our rising stars make bigger moves in their careers.