British artist Mahtab Hussain’s solo exhibition What Did You Want To See? is having a great Spring, at Ikon Museum he explores the fine line between photographic documentation and surveillance culture, addressing the intelligence sites established by the media and the state to monitor the Muslim community in Britain.
Commissioned by Ikon and Photoworks (part of Photowork’s 30 year celebrations)the exhibition features new work, including Hussain’s systematic documentation of 160 Birmingham mosques, revealing the diversity of mosque architecture; portraits of Birmingham residents which highlight the city’s vibrant Muslim community; a communal space within the gallery aimed at fostering inclusion and intercultural dialogue; and What Did You Want To See? an installation simulating a site under surveillance.
During the summers of 2023 and 2024, Hussain, who was raised in Birmingham, systematically photographed the city’s mosques, capturing 160 in total. Displayed in a 16 x 10 grid, the installation offers an architectural typology reminiscent of works by German artists Hilla and Bernd Becher. The collection reveals the diversity of mosque architecture, from the iconic domes and minarets of Birmingham’s Central Mosque to the Arts & Crafts designs of terraced houses and yellow brick churches. Each photograph stands unique, resisting singular interpretation and analysis. Collectively, they underscore the pervasive act of data collection and classification.
Following his previous photographic series You Get Me? (2008-2017) and Honest With You (2008- 2018), which visualised the experiences of British South Asian men and women, Hussain’s latest
work presents portraits of Birmingham residents. Produced in 2024, these black and white portraits highlight the vibrant diversity of Birmingham’s Muslim community. The individuals in the portraits gaze back — one individual is formally dressed in traditional clothing, while another is pictured in his car mechanic’s attire. A further portrait shows a woman holding a cigarette, her elbow propped up by her other hand, while she stares ahead; another depicts a daughter with her arms around her elderly mother, the patterns and texture of their outfits expressive even in monochrome. Hussain’s lens captures the intersectionality of his subjects, embracing their individuality and avoiding stereotypical representations.
Hussain’s installations create a communal space within the gallery, fostering inclusion, care and intercultural dialogue. A carpeted room features a video of five prayer sequences, inviting visitors to join or observe as they choose. Another installation, titled An Act of Civil Declaration (2025), is a series of statements that confront the harmful stereotypes and prejudiced labels that the Muslim community has faced.
Two additional videos, created in collaboration with novelist, playwright and video artist Guy Gunaratne, explore the Muslim experience in Britain. They celebrate community activities, sports and social gatherings while also reflecting on Hussain’s personal journey growing up in Birmingham. Another video features actor, poet and playwright Azan Ahmed sharing the act of daily prayer and its meaning. These installations highlight the richness of the British Muslim community’s heritage and the artist’s intimate connection to his hometown.
Throughout the building, interventions such as post code tagging — a form of graffiti — serve as an act of defiance, transforming the walls into a shared map, signalling belonging, community ties and collective memory. In contrast, the gradual removal of Project Champion surveillance cameras from Birmingham’s streets in 2011 left behind visual remnants in the form of strange tarmac patches dotting the pavements. Repurposed in Ikon Gallery, the patches are reminders and witnesses to a contentious chapter in urban governance, bearing the memory of tension between security and freedom, and a reminder of community resilience and vigilance.
“Through my work, I strive to reflect the richness and resilience of Muslim communities, celebrating
Mahtab Hussain
their individuality while challenging stereotypes. Each portrait and installation is a story, an
invitation to connect, and a reminder of the beauty in our shared humanity.”
As well as the solo exhibition at Ikon Mahtab has created a work which explores representation, identity, and place for The Line at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London which invites those visiting to create their own portrait. The work is part of The Line’s 10th anniversary year programme.
Installation views Mahtab Hussain, What Did You Want To See? all photos © Mark Westall
Please Take a Seat – a contemporary reinterpretation of a Victorian park bench – was developed by Mahtab Hussain in collaboration with The Line’s Youth Collective, and is located near the footpath of the Waterworks River. The bench’s engraved prompt ‘Hello, let’s make a portrait together’ invites you to sit, reflect and use the bench as a prop to take a photo of yourself and share using #PortraitsOnTheLine.
“Please Take a Seat is an invitation, an open space where difference is not just welcomed but celebrated. A bench has always been more than just a place to rest, it’s a stage for conversation, a platform for song, a canvas for poetry, and a space where the body can simply be. This bench carries echoes of history, where benches once stood as sites of civic life, where strangers met, ideas were exchanged, and communities took shape. Here, in this moment, we reclaim that tradition making room for honesty, for dialogue, for the beauty of who we are, together.Please take a seat and tell me what you would like to say.”
Mahtab Hussain
Mahtab Hussain, What Did You Want To See? 20th March –1st June 2025, Ikon
Please Take a Seat, from April 3rd The Line at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
About the artist
In his work Mahtab Hussain (b. 1981) explores the important relationship between identity, heritage and displacement. Hussain’s You Get Me? series debuted in the UK at Autograph in 2017, curated by Mark Sealy. He received his BA in History of Art at Goldsmith College specialising in Fine Art Photography; his MA in Museum and Gallery Management from City University, London; and awarded an Arts Humanities Research Council (AHRC), he completed a MA in Photography at Nottingham Trent University.Mahtab Hussain’s commission is the culmination of The Line’s Visible/Invisible project, a collaborative initiative which brought together The Line, the National Portrait Gallery and the London College of Fashion and explored themes of identity and representation in the digital and public realms.
Mahtab Hussain was born in Scotland in 1981 and raised in Birmingham. He received his BA in History of Art at Goldsmiths College, London, specialising in Fine Art Photography; his MA in Museum and Gallery Management, City University, London; was awarded an Arts Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and completed his MA in Photography at Nottingham Trent University. Hussain has been the recipient of numerous awards and commissions including Ikon, New Art Exchange, Arts Council England and Arts Humanities Research Council and has published four artist books. His themes develop through long-term research articulating a visual lang
