"On a hot afternoon in September 1985, a young man was arrested for a minor traffic offence. Crowds gathered and the situation quickly escalated, one thing led to another and the subsequent chain of events resulted into what became known as the Handsworth Riots. In its aftermath, 2 people were left dead, 2 unaccounted for, 35 injured, over 1500 police officers drafted into the area, around 45 shops looted and burnt, and a trail of damage running into hundreds of thousands of pounds." Pogus Caesar, (Birmingham based film maker/photographer)

Burning Images is a major exhibition of photographs, text and video capturing the sights and sounds of Lozells and Handsworth during and in the aftermath of the events in September 1985; it has been curated by The Drum in partnership with Blach History Foundation to mark the 20th anniversary of the 'Handsworth Riots'. These bold, vivid images and text capture the raw emotion and depicts the stark reality of what happened in Handsworth throughout the riots. They also document the impact these events had on the local communities. This exhibition brings together for the first time, the work of Birmingham's leading photographers: Vanley Burke, Pogus Caesar, Derek Bishton and John Reardon. Burning Images serves as a visual backdrop to the 'Handsworth Evolution' programme - a critical and cultural exploration of the impact of the 1985 Handsworth Riots.