To celebrate Black History Month and the 50th anniversary of the UK’s pioneering Race Relations Act, four artists including photographer and artist, Vanley Burke; illustrator Olivia Twist; documentary photographer Ines Elsa Dalal and Birmingham-based artist Abian Richards, will create a visual art exhibition made up of four pieces, which will be on show to the public at Millennium Point from Friday, 2nd October until Saturday, 31st October.

To launch the exhibition, this Thursday 1st October at 6.30pm in Millennium Point’s Atrium, four of the UK’s leading spoken word acts, including MOBO award-winning rapper, poet and journalist Akala, will interpret and respond to the visual artists’ creations in front of a live audience. The performance will also be created into a live art piece by artist Abian Richards, whose work ranges from small, detailed illustrations to large wall murals creating a unique stylised figurative.

Part of BASS ‘15, the UK’s leading black music and art commission festival, Diaspora Britain is one of ten live events taking place across the UK, curated by award-winning music development agency Punch Records and co-produced by Beatfreeks.

Neil Anderson, director of marketing, communications and events at Millennium Point, said: “We’re really thrilled to be supporting Diaspora Britain and giving artists the platform to showcase their work through energetic and moving performances. As a venue known for its creative thinking, I’ve no doubt we will attract a varied audience from far and wide to this one-time event.”

Joining Akala on stage will be one of the most exciting and versatile players on the jazz, hip hop and spoken word scenes, Sowet Kinch; winner of several slam poetry titles, Vanessa Kisuule, and Birmingham’s Unhindered Reign, a duo made up of artists Luci and Sipho.

Ammo Talwar, CEO at Punch Records, added: “Diaspora Britain is an example of the striking collaborations that we are happy to see more and more of in Birmingham, which is quickly becoming an open city for young artists. We are proud to commission this work as part of BASS 15.”