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Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
More information here.
Birmingham Library
Acrylic on digital photograph print, 2026.
Photograph by Tom Bird.
The old Birmingham Library was considered by many to be a concrete eyesore, and yet today is held fondly in our collective memory and an example of beautiful Brutalist architecture. I probably should’ve read books in the library but really I just hid in there and listened to music and smoked cigarettes on the steps outside.
Margaret Hilda Thatcher
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
This is a painting of late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher which I challenged myself to do in one hour. It took me 43 minutes and I think it shows. The words are in reference to a nickname she was given as 'the milk snatcher' because she withdrew free milk in schools. She also did some other stuff. Google it.
Smilodon Fatalis
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Smilodon Fatalis was a type of sabre-toothed cat, known for its muscular body and surprisingly fragile long front teeth. Modern lions can open their mouths around 65 degrees, this chap could open his gob around 120. He's been dead for 10,000 years so maybe being able to open your mouth like a pedal bin wasn't that useful after all.
My Keys
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
My keys have been missing for some time. Have you seen them? I put them on the side I'm sure. Perhaps in my bag? Let me check my pockets. I definitely had them when I put them down. I couldn't have got in without them. Have you seen them? Where have they gone? Where are they?
Nokia 3310
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
The Nokia 3310 was my favourite phone I ever had, followed closely by the Blackberry Curve. Many a night out in Snobs or the Jug of Ale in Moseley was organised on this phone, between sending messages like 'txt bk lol' and playing Snake.
Napoleon
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Napoleon Bonaparte was known as a great military commander, leading and sometimes coercing his men to victory. He was also a lover of looting defeated territories and dressing up all posh, hence this painting.
Elvis
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
Elvis was best known for 'Blue Suede Shoes' and dying on the bog. Many believe he is still alive today, hence this wistful work that imagines what if he was still in the building, panicking, frantically trying every door? Makes you think.
BBC Ceefax
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
BBC Ceefax was a sort of early version of the internet where you could get news, sport, TV listings and a fun ‘on this day’ fact. My love for it comes out of not the service it provided but the commitment to clean design, bold colour and efficiency with pixels. If I could make my phone look like BBC Ceefax I would.
Wooly Mammoth
Acrylic on canvas, 2025.
The Woolly Mammoth died out for a variety of factors, including rapid climate change which destroyed its habitat. Luckily humans are much smarter than woolly mammoths and wouldn't be so stupid as to engineer their own demise by actively encouraging the destruction of their fragile living environment.
The Electric Cinema
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Before its closure in 2024 the Electric Cinema was the oldest working cinema in the UK. I saw many films there that changed my life. Developers plan to destroy it and build a complex of flats with a shiny new cinema in it. I plan to replace the Houses of Parliament with a Greggs, but we don't always get what we want.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
Jean-Michel Basquiat was a titan of the 1960's American art scene, and is seen as a key player in the Neo-expressionist movement. Here he is sat in front of one of his paintings which I have doctored to include the name 'Gail Platt'. His paintings regularly sell for hundreds of millions of dollars and I intend to achieve similar financial success with this piece.
Cadbury's Spira Bar
Acrylic on canvas, 2025.
The Cadbury Spira was a beloved chocolate bar that consisted of two hollow bars that were then filled with spirals of chocolate, a little like the Ripple. They were discontinued because they were too complicated to produce - incidentally I have lost a number of television jobs for also being 'too complicated to produce'.
Dyrosaurida
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Dyrosaurida was a bit like a crocodile, but where crocs love fresh water these fellas preferred the sea. They survived whatever wiped out the dinosaurs but something got them eventually and personally I'm glad I'll never see one on the beach.
Amy Winehouse
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Amy Winehouse was a British singer known for her soulful voice and autobiographical lyrics. She became a target of the British press, fascinated by her chaotic partying and drug taking. Sadly she died in 2011 but on the plus side it did mean she missed the Reformer Pilates craze, which she would have hated.
Cilla
3D digital sculpture printed on perspex, 2026.
Cilla Black was a TV presenter from Liverpool known for 'Surprise, Surprise' and 'Blind Date'. She features as the protagonist in a video game I am making, where her body is made of a parking meter and her arms and legs out of a 3D scan I made of a sausage.
Tubby Custard
Acrylic and acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
A collaboration with Molly Cleaver.
I have admired Molly Cleaver's work since I discovered the Birmingham art scene and had some of her work up on my walls the first time I had my own walls. This piece reminded me, for some reason, of the long discontinued 'Tubby Custard' which I enjoyed as a youngster, and which was likely a mixture of sugar, palm oil and bleach.
Rheobatrachus silus (Gastric Brooding Frog)
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
This frog, otherwise known as Rheobatrachus silus, would gestate its young inside its stomach and then, when they were ready, violently vomit them out. This is how I imagine the Tate brothers were born.
Benjamin Zephaniah
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Benjamin Zephaniah is to my mind one of the greatest Brummies, if not the greatest, to have ever lived. Joan Armatrading said of him on his death: "What a thoughtful, kind and caring man he was. The world has lost a poet, an intellectual and a cultural revolutionary. I have lost a great friend."
Carnotaurus
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Carnotaurus would've been absolutely terrifying if it wasn't for its stupid tiny little hands, which I think makes it seem adorable. It was awful at cuddles but thrived at fine needle work.
Sigilaria
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Sigilaria was an ancient tree-like plant that produced spores and could grow up to 30 metres. Fossils have been found in Great Britain, USA, China, Korea, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. It went extinct about 300 million years ago.
William Shakespeare
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
William Shakespeare is considered to be the best writer for performance to have ever lived, alongside Chekhov and whoever did K-Pop Demon Hunters. If he were around today he would have a residency at the Old Vic and a very entertaining TikTok.
Dodo
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2025.
The Dodo went extinct in 1662, meaning it never got to enjoy a pint of Kronenbourg.
The Rt Hon Joseph Chamberlain
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
This is a painting of The Rt Hon Joseph Chamberlain, alongside one of his most famous quotes, 'Manchester is shit', which he allegedly would shout at canal boats after sinking ten pints at the Tap and Spile.
Tullimonstrum
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
This is a Tullimonstrum, an ancient sea creature. The tube on the top houses its eyes. The thing at the end of the tube to the right is its mouth. I can't believe this thing actually existed. What a freak. I guess something will look at pictures of me in the future and say the same thing.
Mosquito
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
Mosquitos are responsible for an estimated 1 million human deaths per year. Luckily this one has been captured in resin so we can laugh at it.
Paleoctopus
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Paleoctopus is a long extinct species of octopus. Sucker was one of the only acceptable things I could paint onto it and it still be included in this exhibition.
You can watch a video of this being painted here.
Lepidodendron
Acrylic on canvas, 2025.
The Lepidodendron could grow up to 50 metres high with trunks a metre thick, reaching maximum height in just 10 to 15 years. They died out about 250 million years ago but experts believe if they were still around today the procurement team at IKEA would love them.
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Diana Princess of Wales
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Diana, Princess of Wales, was the Queen of Our Hearts. But not our minds. Never our minds.
Chad Valley Teddy Bear
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Chad Valley is an area of Birmingham which spawned the Chad Valley toy company. This bear was made by them and is in Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s collection. I thought he might enjoy a cuddle.
Mini Disc
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
I remember everyone at Hospital Radio Pulse in Redditch losing their minds over Mini Disc. It was a beautiful looking thing, rewritable, fast response times, didn't skip when you knocked the player, massively portable. Unfortunately mp3 players were invented soon after and all minidiscs swiftly found themselves in landfill.
Aetiocetus
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Aetiocetus was around about 30 million years ago. Modern whales have either teeth or baleen (hair like structures that filter food out of the water) but this fella is notable for having both, meaning his mouth was like the Swiss Army knife of the Oligocene ocean.
Bombus Franklini
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Bombus Franklini or Franklin’s bumble bee was last seen in 2006. It loved nectar and pollen from wildflowers and absolutely hated windows.
Hindenburg
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Hindenburg was a giant floating aircraft that was filled with highly flammable hydrogen which caught fire whilst docking on May 6, 1937. Extraordinarily around half of the people on board survived.
The Lunar Society
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
The Lunar Society were a group of Birmingham movers and shakers who met for dinner between 1765 and 1813, calling themselves the 'lunaticks'. The modern equivalent is when Alison Hammond goes to Bella Italia with Cat Deeley. Here we see Joseph Priestley, James Watt, Erasmus Darwin and Matthew Boulton realising they have very much under-ordered at Nandos.
Concorde
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Concorde allowed rich businesspeople to get from London to New York in under three hours, which is a similar journey time it takes a UK train to get from Birmingham to Solihull.
Bull Ring King Kong
Acrylic on canvas, 2025.
The Bull Ring used to have a giant King Kong statue outside it, but now it just has a brass bull and sometimes a Perspex box with people trying to sell you a Sky television package.
EVERY THING MUST GO
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
This work is a painting of a gravestone with the words 'EVERY THING MUST GO'. That's it. That's the artwork.
F-111 Aardvark
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The F-111 Aardvark had an ability to 'dump and burn' where it would dump fuel and burn it at the same time in a spectacular display of disregard for natural resources and the environment.
Hatzegopteryx
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Hatzegopteryx was a flying dinosaur with a wingspan of 12 metres which is about the length of two Vauxhall Zafiras.
Glyptodon
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Glyptodon was a herbivorous armadillo that absolutely did not have time for your nonsense.
Auroch
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
The Auroch was an impressive and fierce Eurasian ox, considered the wild ancestor to modern cattle. In the Middle Ages the giant horns, which could grow up to 80cm across, were used by humans to drink out of, which continued until the Sports Direct mug was invented.
Anne Hughes
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2024.
Anne Hughes brought joy to millions in 2021 when she was hoisted into the air outside the best-one she worked at in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. She took the experience in good spirit, saying in an interview with the BBC, "my grandchildren ask me why I am holding on to my trolley and I say I just don't know." She sadly passed in January 2026 and is remembered fondly here.
The News of the World
Screenprint on newspaper, 2026.
The News of the World was, by its own admission, the world's greatest newspaper. We'd all like to write our own reviews. Made with the assistance of the great James Turner from Stirchley Printworks.
John Lennon
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
John Lennon was a member of The Beatles and considered one of the greatest musicians and songwriters to have ever lived. He once staged a protest in bed with Yoko Ono, which is why I think he might've enjoyed a duvet day.
John Michael Osbourne
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
John Michael Osbourne (1948-2025), aka 'Ozzy Osbourne', was the lead singer in the band Black Sabbath who are credited with the invention of modern heavy metal music. A huge global star, he decided to perform his final show back here in Birmingham, at Villa Park, which was one of the most moving, memorable and beautiful things I've ever attended.
Various Missiles
Glazed ceramic, 2026.
The missiles here are based on the USSR Sapwood, the R-7 Semyorka, the V-750 and the AIM 9 Sidewinder. Missiles are used to destroy buildings and murder humans and other living things. Some people like to write their signature on them. Takes all sorts I guess!!!
English Electric Lightning
Stained glass, 2026.
Collaboration with Lara O'Toole and Primo Antoniazzi.
Birmingham artist Lara O'Toole has long had a fascination with aircraft. This, the now decommissioned English Electric Lightning, had two stacked engines and was known for its rocket-like performance and supersonic climb aka going 'ballistic'. This required a lot of fuel, hence being a 'thirsty girl'. We worked with Primo at his workshop in Kings Heath to immortalise the plane in this beautiful stained glass piece.
Homonculus
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The theory of preformationism was a 16th century attempt at understanding how individual humans come to be. Some scientists believed that sperms were tiny little people who would grow into a fully formed human in the right conditions. Some believed that when fully grown they would be great skilled in 'art' and could create giants, dwarves and other marvels. The theory is no longer popular apart from in certain areas of the dark web and probably certain bits of Harborne.
Carolina Parakeet
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Carolina Parakeet was a parrot native to North America, which went extinct in the early 20th century, in part due to deforestation and hunting.
Fehmida Mirza
Photograph and acrylic-painted frame, 2020 & 2026.
Birmingham photographer Khuram Mirza took this picture of his mother Fehmida reading the Quran just before lockdown; it won the Portrait of Britain Award 2021. In Islam the afterlife is thought to be a garden, and so she is framed here among flowers.
Martin from Hull
Mixed media sculpture, 2026.
Martin from Hull is an (almost) lifesize mammoth, made with a wooden frame over which is draped pink-dyed British Wool, with spray-painted worbla tusks and jesmonite trunk, and a latex-covered fabric tongue. His toenails are handmade ceramic and his eyes are painted worbla.
My thanks to all the team at Create 180 and all my hookers: Sophie Irish, Chloe Winn, Eve Hepworth, Mercedes Plumridge, Jess Doherty, George Thompson, Cathryn Waudby, Megan Clay-Dennis, Tabitha Green, Holly Mills, Jen Hogg, Sophie Bell, Peter Cant, Mark Francis, Nicole Akong, Fiona McCrudden, Lawratu Patton, Claire Cousins, Olivia Hirmer, Chloe Bell, Rebecca Fisher and Heather Orr.
Erniewise Large
Acrylic gouache canvas, 2026.
Morecambe and Wise were a double act consisting of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise who dominated the comedy landscape for over 40 years til Morecambe's sudden death in 1984. An inspiration to basically everyone that followed, they set the bar for how funny could be done on television.
Eric Morecombe
Acrylic gouache on watercolour on paper, 2026.
Morecambe and Wise were a double act consisting of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise who dominated the comedy landscape for over 40 years til Morecambe's sudden death in 1984. An inspiration to basically everyone that followed, they set the bar for how funny could be done on television.
A collaboration with my mother, Helen Lycett RBSA.
Dunkleosteus
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Rob Beckett is a comedian, TV presenter and podcaster, best known for the Parenting Hell podcast and his work with Romesh Ranganathan. He is not dead but the Dunkleosteus, his nearest known ancestor, is.
Ballistic Large
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
A collaboration with Lara O'Toole who painted this stunning depiction of the English Electric Lightning plane. You can view the stained glass work this inspired to the wall on the right.
Rowntree's Cabana
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Rowntree Cabana had coconut, cherries and caramel in a milk chocolate casing, described sometimes as 'tropical magic'. It sounds superb to be fair.
Animal Testing
Mixed media sculpture, 2026.
Made in collaboration with Imbue.
A little known fact is that I test my material on animals. Here we see three specimens that unfortunately perished during this gruelling experience. The specimens are listed here:
Common Surinam Toad (Pipa pipa) model
Provenance unknown
European Water Vole (Arvicola amphibius) taxidermy
Presented by Mr William Sherwood, 1967
Long-nosed Potoroo (Potorous tridactylus) taxidermy
Purchased with the assistance of M. G. from Norwich Museum, 1955
Golden Toad
Golden foil and ink screen print, 2026.
The Golden Toad was native to Costa Rica, last seen in 1989 and declared extinct in 2004. Made with the assistance of the great James Turner from Stirchley Printworks.
Bolitoglossa Jacksoni
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Some say this is a painting of the now extinct Bolitoglossa Jacksoni. Some say it is the King of England. It's up to you to decide who is correct.
Perucetus Colossus
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Perucetus Colossus, an ancient whale, is remarkable for its size (up to 150 tonnes by some estimates) and high bone density, meaning it was huge and yet couldn't swim in the open ocean. It likely just floated about on the seabed in shallow waters eating whatever it could find, which is why it reminds me of your mom.
The Village Inn
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Village Inn in Birmingham's Gay Village was the greatest queer club to ever exist. On Sundays the drag queen Yshee Black would host 'The Church of Yshee' which championed drag and queer performance. Those nights were some of my favourite in my life. I miss going to church.
Pete Burns
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Pete Burns (1959-2016) was part of the band Dead or Alive, known for their hit 'You Spin Me Round'. Later he appeared in Celebrity Big Brother, where he demonstrated his caustic and cruel wit. He was a lover of appearance altering surgery, and was once quoted as saying 'I've got staples, nuts, bolts, stitches, the whole lot. I'm Frankenstein. I'm feeling wonderful.'
Quentin Crisp
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Quentin Crisp (1908-1999) was a writer, actor and raconteur, to my mind the closest we've had to Oscar Wilde since Oscar Wilde. Notable for being openly queer when it absolutely wasn't cool, he later became hugely famous in both the UK and the US, keeping his phone number in the public phone book and insisting on answering it whenever it rang, usually answering it with a simple 'Oh Yes?'
Flat Eric
Oil pastels, acrylic paint pens and acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Collaboration with Hannah Al-Shemmeri.
Flat Eric was an icon of late 1990s / early 2000s advertising, famously appearing in Levi's marketing around that period. Flat whites are an icon of late 2010s / early 2020s coffee culture, and are particularly delicious with oat milk.
zZAPp
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The zZAPp was an ice cream famous for its multicolour marble effect. I never had one but apparently it was toffee flavour. Nothing about any of the colours make me think of toffee.
Helicoprion
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
The Helicoprion was an absolutely terrifying predator of the sea, with what resembled a buzzsaw on its lower jaw. Must've been like a very intense version of having metal braces. Thankfully this guy is long dead where he belongs.
Alfred Bird
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Alfred Bird (1811-1878) invented powdered custard as his wife couldn't eat eggs, one of the most romantic gestures ever performed by a Brummie. He also invented the far more widely used baking powder but no one seemingly cares about that.
Mexican Lapdog
Acrylic on canvas, 2025.
The Mexican lapdog was about the size of a guinea pig and may the cutest animal to have ever lived. You can find a taxidermy specimen in Tring.
Creme Egg
Acrylic on canvas, 2025.
The old style Creme Egg was an astonishing feat of engineering. Alas the new ones just aren't the same, however much Mondelez executives tell you otherwise.
David
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
My friend David passed in 2020 during the COVID pandemic after a long illness. Known for his love of crisp cold golds, the music of his friend Andrew Weatherall and shouting the word ‘lovely’ he is missed and yet very present to this day. In one of his last texts to me he started the exchange with ‘oi oi saveloy’, hence this painting.
Andrew Weatherall
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Andrew Weatherall was one of the most influential Acid House DJs and producers to ever live, who produced Primal Scream's Screamadelica album amongst many others. He was a great lover of culture, books, and weirdly would come to my gigs from time to time. He died in 2020 and is sorely missed.
Mamenchisaurus
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Mamenchisaurus was known for its incredibly long neck, with some specimens' measuring well over 30ft. To put that in perspective, if your neck was 20ft it would still have a longer neck than you.
Caspian Tiger
Acrylic on canvas, 2026.
The Caspian Tiger inhabited countries such as Turkey, Iran, China and Afghanistan until it went extinct around the 1970s, but not before it had opened the successful 'Caspian Pizza' chain of restaurants.
Xiphiorhynchus
Acrylic on canvas, 2025.
The Xiphiorhynchus was an ancient swordfish that differed from modern day equivalents in that it had a long upper and lower jaw. Which I expect was actually quite annoying, like trying to eat a Caesar salad with two javelins.
Longisquama
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
The Longisquama was a tiny lizard-like creature from around 235 million years ago. Despite only being about 10 cm long it had huge feather like structures growing out its back. Scientists dispute what they were used for but personally I think they were used for showing off at fancy parties or to store jewellery.
Sir Edward Burne-Jones
Acrylic on digital print, 2025.
George Frederic Watts (1817-1904) painted this vulnerable portrait of the legendary Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones in 1870, exhibiting at the Royal Academy that summer. The painting is unusual for its time in that it does not flatter, with loose brush strokes and a simple dark background. I like it cause it reminded me of a bloke in Moseley who once asked me for some rizla.
gail platt summer
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
This is a painting of the name 'gail platt' in the branding style of the Charli XCX album 'brat'.
Nicho for MSN Messenger
Glazed ceramic nicho shrine to MSN Messenger, 2026.
Can't txt rn brb.
Enochtopus and Friends
3D digital image, lightbox, 2026.
This collaboration with Birmingham-based artist Faisal Hussain depicts Enoch Powell and Oswald Moseley, two far right politicians of old. Oswald is depicted as a Meganeura, a now extinct flying insect that had a wingspan of nearly 2.5 ft. Enochtopus’ tentacles are made of a traffic light I 3D scanned while on a walk in Peckham. Faisal Hussain adds: ‘On the topic of extinction these two came to mind, and even though we may mourn the demise of so many beautiful species, thankfully, few mourn for dead racists. White supremacism kills the planet by thinking of populations as expendable and the natural world as disposable.'
Enochtopus and Friends
3D digital image, lightbox, 2026.
This collaboration with Birmingham-based artist Faisal Hussain depicts Enoch Powell and Oswald Moseley, two far right politicians of old. Oswald is depicted as a Meganeura, a now extinct flying insect that had a wingspan of nearly 2.5 ft. Enochtopus’ tentacles are made of a traffic light I 3D scanned while on a walk in Peckham. Faisal Hussain adds: ‘On the topic of extinction these two came to mind, and even though we may mourn the demise of so many beautiful species, thankfully, few mourn for dead racists. White supremacism kills the planet by thinking of populations as expendable and the natural world as disposable.'
Hall Green Stadium
Acrylic gouache on canvas, 2026.
Hall Green Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium, a stone's throw from where I grew up. It was demolished in the late 2010s to make way for a housing estate, with the surviving greyhounds demolished and turned into lasagnas.
