With a solo exhibition kicking off at Ikon later this month, we take a look at the award-winning artist, Mahtab Hussain’s important work exploring the relationship between identity, heritage and displacement
Ahead of Mahtab’s exhibition at Ikon Gallery, we’re shining a light on the artist’s thought-provoking work which highlights the richness of the British Muslim community and the artist’s strong connection to Birmingham. The exhibition explores the fine line between photographic documentation and surveillance culture by addressing the intelligence sites established to monitor the Muslim community.
To give the work some context, in 2010 West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council were forced to apologise over a network of cameras installed in two predominantly Muslim areas. Titled Project Champion, the scheme monitored Sparkbrook and Washwood Heath with 216 cameras including covert devices installed in the street to track the residents’ cars and capture and store data.
Implemented largely without formal consultation, the initiative was revealed to be a counter terrorism project based on racial profiling and paid for by the Terrorism and Allied Matters fund. The handful of councillors who were consulted say they were led to believe the scheme’s aim was to tackle anti-social behaviour and were not made aware it was paid for by the Terrorism and Allied Matters fund. The cameras were dismantled in 2011.
CELEBRATNG COMMUNITY
Mahtab’s new exhibition, What Did You Want To See? explores the impact of Project Champion and prejudice more widely. Commissioned by Ikon and international photography platform, Photoworks, the exhibition will include a series of installations creating a communal space in the gallery fostering inclusion and intercultural dialogue.
For instance, one space will include portraits displayed within a prayer room alongside a video of five prayer sequences that visitors can observe or join in. Another room will be set up as a surveillance hub, with more than 200 cameras installed making the viewer feel watched and potentially uncomfortable. Additional videos take a look at the Muslim experience in the UK by celebrating community while also reflecting on Mahtab’s experience growing up in Birmingham.
CHALLENGING STEREOTYPES
One element of the exhibition is Mahtab’s documentation of 160 mosques in Birmingham. Mahtab began taking photos of the city’s mosques in the summer of 2023 resulting in a collection of images highlighting the diversity of architecture from the iconic minarets of Birmingham’s Central Mosque to the Arts & Crafts designs of terraced houses and yellow brick churches. Collectively, the photographs underscore the pervasive act of data collection and classification.
The exhibition also includes a series of black and white portraits highlighting the city’s vibrant Muslim community embracing their individuality and snubbing stereotypes like the photograph of Daddy Shaf in his mechanic’s clothing, pictured. There is clearly an irony in Mahtab using photography as a medium to highlight the misuse of cameras and infringement of people’s rights, however, he combats this by talking to his sitters one to one about their shared experiences and his creative process. He also uses consent forms and strives to create something the sitter would be happy to have on their wall.
Circling back to Project Champion, the removal of the cameras left odd patches of tarmac dotted along the pavement which have been repurposed for the exhibition. They serve as a memory of the tension between security and freedom and a reminder of community resilience. Mahtab says: “Through my work, I strive to reflect the richness and resilience of Muslim communities, celebrating their individuality while challenging stereotypes. Each portrait and installation is a story, an invitation to connect, and a reminder of the beauty in our shared humanity.”