Silver-factory exhibition plays on industrial past

Dudley-born artist Dion Kitson pictured in the J.W. Silver Factory fly press shop in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter

The artist behind Birmingham's "fake Banksy" is opening his latest exhibition in a preserved silver factory.

Dudley-born Dion Kitson's Silver Lining display can be seen in the historic J.W. Evans Silver Factory in the Jewellery Quarter from Saturday.

The 20 works on show, which include a self-portrait as a tin man, were inspired by the artist's lived experience and the area's lost industrial past.

Mr Kitson said the factory, which was taken over by English Heritage when it shut in 2008, made him "consider the historical classicism associated with silver".

Dion Kitson's self portrait as the Tin Man, a sculpture made from plaster and a funnel

Artworks on display contrast middle-class products manufactured by the factory with the everyday, such as cigarettes cast in bronze.

On the workshop floor and in display cases, the artist has installed works from solid silver nitrous oxide canisters to a broken hammer.

In the 1990s factory packing room, which is mostly a shrine to Aston Villa, visitors will find a life-sized image of former Wolverhampton Wanderers' top scorer Steve Bull.

Mr Kitson described the factory as representative of "British heritage and its lost industrial workforce".

"It’s special in that the factory is fixed in time," he added.

"I like that people can see my work and overlook it by accident – which is centred on everyday objects – but in a different setting, and for them to experience J.W. Evans Silver Factory from a contemporary art perspective."

Dion Kitson's artwork in Birmingham, which depicts Dorothy reaching for a pair of ruby slippers, was rumoured to be a Banksy

The artist, who studied at Birmingham School of Art and learned the art of metal-casting in the Jewellery Quarter, works across mediums, incorporating found objects and new technologies.

His work captured attention last month when a mural depicting Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz rumoured to be a Banksy was later revealed to be part of a TV show hoax.

English Heritage is staging the exhibition as part of its annual creative programme.

Collections conservator Bethan Stanley said Mr Kitson's work challenged preconceptions of local heritage.

"It will be a unique and thought-provoking experience for visitors to come and see Dion’s installations interspersed with the rich historic collection here," she added.

Guided tour tickets can be booked until 6 September.

Mr Kitson’s first major solo exhibition, Rue Britannia, can also be seen until 8 September at the Ikon Gallery in Brindley Place.