Handsworth Stories explores the experiences of one of Britain’s earliest and most significant multicultural communities. The display features Handsworth Songs, an award-winning documentary film directed by John Akomfrah, alongside photographs from the 1979 project Handsworth Self-Portrait.

At the heart of the display is the Handsworth Songs documentary, which explores the civil unrest that took place in Handsworth and London in September and October 1985. Directed by John Akomfrah, a Ghanaian-born British artist, the film fuses documentary, archive footage and music to capture the stories of Handsworth residents as economic decline and racial discrimination spilled over into violent unrest.

The display also includes a selection of photographs from the Handsworth Self-Portrait series, a project devised by photographers Derek Bishton, John Reardon and Brian Homer. The series took place in 1979, when passers-by were invited into a pop-up outdoor studio in Handsworth. Given the power to choose how they wanted to be depicted, participants created portraits that captured the reality of the people and communities of the area. The photographs provide an extraordinary snapshot of one of Britain’s first multicultural communities.

The display has been made possible with support from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, John Ellerman Foundation and John Feeney Charitable Trust.  

It is part of a city-wide programme of events organised by Birmingham Museums Trust, Birmingham City University and University of Birmingham to explore the legacy and continuing relevance of Handsworth Songs, its themes and the communities represented within it. 

Visit the exhibition

• Free entry.
• Dates: Opens 13 October 2026.
• Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm, in term time and every day during Birmingham school holidays (see visit page for dates).
• Handsworth Songs film screenings: 2pm - 3:15pm from 13 October to 15 November (after this date a new viewing schedule will be provided). 
  No booking is required, but please meet at 1:50pm in the Round Room near the Statue of Lucifer by Jacob Epstein, as we will walk through to the space at 2pm.