more than 40 paintings spanning six decades
Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery is set to present the first major survey exhibition of British Indian artist Balraj Khanna.
Titled ‘Lines of Flight’, the exhibition will bring together more than 40 paintings spanning six decades of Khanna’s career.
The exhibition opens on September 30, 2026, and will remain on display at Ikon until February 21, 2027.
Khanna, who died in 2024 aged 85, was a self-taught artist whose work explored migration, identity, memory and belonging.
His artistic practice was shaped by his childhood in the Punjab region of India and his experiences of living in post-war Britain.
Khanna witnessed the Partition of India in 1947 before moving to London in 1962.
His work later developed a distinctive approach to abstraction, influenced by nature, landscapes and his experiences across different countries.
The exhibition will feature rarely seen works from the 1960s and 1970s alongside large-scale compositions created between the 1970s and early 2000s.
Early paintings inspired by the forests of Metz, France, will be displayed alongside later works addressing childhood memories, diasporic identity and postcolonial politics.
The exhibition will also examine the lasting impact of Partition on Balraj Khanna’s artistic work.
A major connection to Birmingham will be highlighted through ‘Astral Dance’, Khanna’s monumental painted safety curtain created for Birmingham Hippodrome in 2001.
The work marks its 25th anniversary in 2026 and remains an important part of Birmingham’s cultural landscape.
Ikon said the exhibition offers an overview of Khanna’s career as a painter, writer and curator.
The gallery also presents the exhibition as an opportunity to explore his contribution to post-war British abstraction.
The exhibition will be presented across Ikon Gallery’s first and second floors at its Brindleyplace venue.
Entry to the exhibition will be free, with the gallery open from Tuesday to Sunday between 11 am and 5 pm.
An official launch event will take place on September 29 from 5 pm to 7 pm, ahead of the exhibition opening.
The free event will not require visitors to book in advance.
Ikon will also collaborate with Birmingham Hippodrome on public programmes, curator-led tours and learning initiatives connected to ‘Astral Dance’.
‘Lines of Flight’ brings together works from different periods, allowing visitors to follow the development of Balraj Khanna’s artistic style.
For audiences interested in British Asian art, the exhibition offers an opportunity to explore a career shaped by South Asian heritage and life in Britain.
