About Us:
Kala, meaning ‘Black’ in Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu, embodies the essence of collaboration in all creative endeavours. Kalaboration Arts emerged in …, founded by Mukhtar Dar and Ian Sergeant during their tenure at the Drum Art Centre. It was born out of a necessity to address the lack of support and provision in the City of Birmingham for Asian, African, and Caribbean visual artists, evolving into an interdisciplinary arts development agency.
The three visionary artistic directors of Kalaboration Arts, Mukhtar Dar, Ian Sergeant, and Bob Ramdhanie, hail from diverse cultural backgrounds – Pakistani, Jamaican, Trinidadian/Guyanese. They share a common experience of the term ‘Black’ being emblematic of the anti-racist struggles faced by their communities in the 70s and 80s.
Kalaboration Arts is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of imagination and innovation in the realms of arts and culture. Since its inception, the organisation has been committed to producing conscious, critical, and challenging works across various art forms and media, expanding the narrative horizons of immersive storytelling. With a wealth of collective experience accumulated over 100 years of working across the arts and cultural sectors, all three are recognised as cultural experts and leaders with deep and unprecedented reach among Birmingham’s super-diverse communities and audiences.
At the core of its mission is the amplification of diverse voices from marginalised and underrepresented communities, bringing their stories to the forefront of mainstream consciousness. Kalaboration Arts has garnered acclaim for its thought-provoking, stylised, and captivating works that traverse a multitude of mediums and art forms.