A thought-provoking community exhibition on death, dying, and grief has opened at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, offering visitors the chance to explore these universal themes through art, tradition, and discussion.
Running until the end of June, the exhibition forms part of the annual A Matter of Life and Death Festival 2026 (2–16 May), organised by local collective BrumYODO, and coincides with national Dying Matters Awareness Week (4–10 May). BrumYODO brings together artists, undertakers, food artists, hospices, palliative care professionals and others to promote healthy and productive conversations around death and dying.
The exhibition highlights rituals and traditions associated with mourning, while also inviting visitors to reflect on innovative ideas such as the use of artificial intelligence to support grief management. Alongside this, artworks from the museum’s collection exploring death, dying, and grief are showcased, alongside information about BrumYODO and local grief support services.
A diverse festival programme offers activities for people of all ages. Family-friendly workshops, such as Dance Me To The End (Of Love) on Saturday 2 May, blend dance improvisation and intuitive drawing, inspired by global traditions like the Mexican Day of the Dead, and are led by artist Bianca Beneduzi.
On Friday 15 May, artist Jemma Mellor will lead a grief and clay workshop where participants can create a small clay token to remember someone who has passed. These tokens can be kept as personal keepsakes or placed in a meaningful outdoor location to gradually return to the earth, reflecting longstanding cultural traditions of remembrance.
Further pop-up art and craft activities will take place in front of the community display in the Made in Birmingham gallery throughout the festival. Details of all events are available at brumyodo.org.uk.
The festival also includes a comedy night, Dead Funny, on Thursday 9 May, featuring award‑winning comedian Angela Barnes and Stephen Owen, a former homicide detective turned impressionist and comedian, offering unexpected and thought-provoking perspectives on death and dying in the historic tearoom at the museum.
Andrea Bonnell, partnership manager at Birmingham Museums Trust, said:
“We are excited to be hosting the BrumYODO community exhibition and to provide a space where people can reflect and have meaningful conversations about death and dying as an inevitable and natural part of the life cycle.”
BrumYODO board member Helen Tomblin added:
“We are delighted to be partnering with so many wonderful local organisations including Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery for this year’s A Matter of Life and Death festival. With everything from fun-filled workshops, a comedy night and safe discussion spaces where people can explore all aspects of death and dying, we hope our programme will appeal to all.”
For more information about the exhibition, festival programme and participating events, visit brumyodo.org.uk.
