Artist/curator team Mona Casey and Paul McAree are so excited by Birmingham's burgeoning art scene that they've decided to open their own gallery.
Mona, a visiting lecturer at UCE, and Paul, who works for London's Tate Modern, both came to Birmingham from Ireland eight years ago to do an MA in Fine Art at UCE, and decided to stay.
"We're really interested in the developing arts scene in Birmingham and want to be part of it," says Mona.
Following previous exhibitions in the Jewellery Quarter and Digbeth, the duo have rented a venue in Oxford Street, Digbeth, for their first venture under the banner of Colony.
"It's our inaugural show," says Mona, "and although we've only rented the space for a short while, we are hoping to find a permanent residence next year, either in Digbeth or somewhere else close to the city centre."
Their debut Colony Gallery exhibition is The End Is The Beginning In The End, a group show featuring work by Ellie Harrison, Dave Rowland, Rachel Collins and Casey & McAree themselves.
* Colony Gallery, 22 Oxford Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, is open Sat & Sun, noon-5pm, until 28 Nov. Admission is free. For further info, call 07940 507073 or visit www.colonygallery.co.uk
