This exhibition catalogue accompanies the ‘Horror in the Modernist Block’ exhibition at Ikon Gallery (25 November 2022 – 1 May 2023).

‘Horror in the Modernist Block’ presents new and recent work by 20 UK and international contemporary artists exploring the relationship between architectural modernism and horror.

Essays and texts by Melanie Pocock, Acting Artistic Director; Lucy Mounfield, Assistant Curator; Stuart Whipps, artist; and Joshua Comaroff, architectural historian and designer.

About the exhibition:

Modern architecture is often associated with the horror genre. In fiction and film, high-rise towers and concrete buildings form the backdrop to terrifying stories of dystopia.

The exhibition takes Birmingham as its starting point, a city renowned for its brutalist architecture.

It considers how the exhibiting artists unpack the troubled histories and legacies of modernist buildings through the lens of horror by linking its tropes (suspense, darkness, fear) with qualities of modernist design.

Configured in dialogue with the architecture of Ikon’s galleries, it will take viewers on a journey that highlights how the design and features of a building can shape not only our movement and perception, but also our deepest fears.

Artists include: Laëtitia Badaut Haussmann, Simon & Tom Bloor, Ruth Claxton, Shezad Dawood, Ola Hassanain, Ho Tzu Nyen, Richard Hughes, Karim Kal, Kihlberg & Henry, Firenze Lai, Diego Marcon, Ismael Monticelli, NT, Amba Sayal-Bennett, Seher Shah, Monika Sosnowska, Maria Taniguchi, Abbas Zahedi.