In autumn 2026, Ikon presents the first major survey exhibition of artist Balraj Khanna (1939-2024). Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Khanna’s landmark commission for Birmingham Hippodrome Safety Curtain, Astral Dance (2001), the exhibition traces the evolution of Khanna’s unique vision of abstraction, shaped by his youth in the Punjab region of India, life in post-war Britain, and fascination for the natural world.

A self-taught artist, writer, and curator, Khanna witnessed the Partition of India in 1947 before relocating to London in 1962. A road accident in 1965 led to a period of recuperation in France, where he began creating abstract paintings inspired by the forests of Metz. At Ikon, rarely seen works from the 1960s will be shown alongside paintings from the 1970s that explore diasporic identity and postcolonial politics. Mixed media works from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s will highlight Khanna’s innovative painting technique and his vibrant visual language of organic and geometric forms.