Two Major Art Collections to Form Part of a Landmark Cultural Project
09 October 2025
Two of the UK’s most important art collections will form part of a landmark cultural project in the West Midlands – and a major celebration of contemporary art is giving audiences a first look.
Dozens of works from the Arts Council Collection and British Council Collection have gone on display as part of the Coventry Biennial 2025 – ahead of the launch of the City Centre Cultural Gateway, which will transform the city’s former Ikea building into a vibrant cultural hub.
The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum is hosting exhibitions featuring highlights from both collections as part of the fifth edition of the Biennial, which runs until January 26, with a series of exhibitions at four other Coventry and Warwickshire venues giving people across the region the chance to engage with groundbreaking art from across the globe.
Under its theme of Obsessions, Possessions, it will turn the spotlight on the powerful human impulse to collect, inviting audiences to explore what personal and shared collections reveal about identity, community, and society.
The Cultural Gateway aims to be a central hub for culture and community in the heart of the city centre, boasting national collection management facilities, dedicated spaces for research and teaching, and areas designed to host community and cultural activities.
Led by Coventry City Council, the project involves a number of organisations working in partnership including the British Council, which will move its collection to the city in 2027, Arts Council England, CV Life and Coventry University, with a new management organisation for the Arts Council Collection being established in Coventry.
Against the backdrop of this major cultural shift, the Coventry Biennial asks why we collect, what meaning collections hold, and how they shape our shared histories – showcasing newly co-created artworks alongside imaginative reworkings of collections and archives.
The programme will also examine questions of legacy, power, politics, and exclusion, opening up timely conversations about whose stories are included and whose remain absent – inviting audiences to reflect on the ways in which collections help us understand ourselves, and each other.
Simeon Barclay’s Kinda Blu, which showcases sculpture, film, paintings, photography and more from the Arts Council Collection, reflects on Coventry’s history as a city of transformation and highlights how an individual can use collections to explore and better understand themselves, their interests, and the world around them.
in transit under another sky, which is inspired by Zimbabwean novelist Yvonne Vera, has been co-curated by E.N. Mirembe and Rosie Olang’ Odhiambo using British Council Collection works alongside artists from across east Africa, exploring themes of migration, belonging and life “in the margins”.
The two curators have been working with the British Council since late 2023, when they were selected via open call for a professional development and exhibition making programme, as part of a cohort from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. In collaboration with the British Council they have organised exhibitions in Nairobi, Kampala and London, culminating with this presentation in Coventry.
Marguerite Nugent, Cultural Director at CV Life, which operates the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, said: "Welcoming both the Arts Council Collection and the British Council Collection ahead of the launch of the Cultural Gateway is a cultural milestone for the Herbert and for the city.
“These exhibitions give audiences here a chance to encounter two national collections of international significance, while also showcasing ambitious new commissions created in and for Coventry.
“It underlines the Herbert’s role as a place where national and global culture connects directly with local communities."
Also on display at the Herbert is Monument to the Vanquished Peasant by artist and writer Leah Gordon. Commissioned by Meadow Arts, it is the culmination of a three-year project which unpacks the legacies of the Enclosure Acts, their social and political implications, and impact on land and community.
Helsinki-based artist Sophia Ehrnrooth’s 879 Heroes by Heart, a four-screen moving image installation supported by Frame Contemporary Art Finland, highlights the intensity of football fandom and the power of celebrity obsession. The presentation at the Herbert is the first time the work has been shown in its intended immersive format.
The programme also takes place at some of Coventry’s most iconic cultural venues including The Coach House at Charterhouse, Coventry Cathedral, Art Riot Collective at FarGo Village, and Coventry University’s Delia Derbyshire Building.
Sevven Küçük, Operations Director at the Coventry Biennial of Contemporary Art, said: “Audiences in Coventry and the Midlands will be able to access these two nationally and globally significant collections as part of the Biennial, alongside ambitious projects from international curators and artists.
“Too often art can feel elitist or exclusive, but by working closely with the Herbert and our other partner venues, we are opening up extraordinary collections and placing them in dialogue with local communities in unusual and unexpected spaces.
“This year’s Biennial is the most ambitious to date. As well as being a celebration of resilience, reinvention and creativity, it’s a chance for audiences to see Coventry at the heart of a new cultural chapter for Britain."
Alona Pardo, Director, Arts Council Collection, said: “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to collaborate with our future neighbours and cultural partners, Coventry Biennial and the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, ahead of an exciting chapter for the Arts Council Collection.
“Simeon Barclay has curated an urgent, thoughtful and dynamic exhibition that poses vital questions around identity, belonging and place. It is an honour to present this show at the Herbert, and we are excited to continue building meaningful, forward-looking relationships with our colleagues and communities across the West Midlands.”
Emma Dexter, Director of Visual Arts and British Council Collection, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Coventry Biennial and Herbert Art Gallery and Museum to present ‘in transit under another sky’.
“This exhibition underlines our commitment to using our Collection to create dialogue on the most pressing issues of our time. It has been such a pleasure to work with curators Rosie Olang and EN Mirembe, who have brought great energy and vision to this project from the outset. It is fantastic to be back in Coventry, which will be the new home of our Collection from 2027.”
Councillor Naeem Akhtar, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities at Coventry City Council, said: “The partnerships we are building via the City Centre Cultural Gateway will be brilliant for our city. It will place Coventry at the heart of national and international cultural conversations, while creating a space that people of Coventry can utilise and enjoy.
“This year’s Biennial offers a vibrant programme that reflects Coventry’s creativity, diversity and resilience. I encourage everyone to visit these brilliant exhibitions whilst they’re on offer here in Coventry.”