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Two figures are sat together in a dusky, sunlit car. The passenger turns their head to look to the driver. The driver, with hands on the wheel, can be seen smiling in the rear view mirror of the car. The blue-tinged road ahead is clear.
Two construction cranes are seen rising above the dirt, against the backdrop of Birmingham’s city skyline. Concrete, high rise accommodation is backed by a cloudy, blue sky.
An image at night, from a window ajar, looking to a building which reads ‘BIRMINGHAM COACH STATION’ in illuminated lettering. The sky is deep blue, and street lamps are dotted along the winding road.
Two figures are sat together in a dusky, sunlit car. The passenger turns their head to look to the driver. The driver, with hands on the wheel, can be seen smiling in the rear view mirror of the car. The blue-tinged road ahead is clear.

‘Learning to Drive in Birmingham’ (2026), Laisul Hoque. Image courtesy of Laisul Hoque.

Two construction cranes are seen rising above the dirt, against the backdrop of Birmingham’s city skyline. Concrete, high rise accommodation is backed by a cloudy, blue sky.

‘Learning to Drive in Birmingham’ (2026), Laisul Hoque. Image courtesy of Laisul Hoque.

An image at night, from a window ajar, looking to a building which reads ‘BIRMINGHAM COACH STATION’ in illuminated lettering. The sky is deep blue, and street lamps are dotted along the winding road.

‘Learning to Drive in Birmingham’ (2026), Laisul Hoque. Image courtesy of Laisul Hoque.

‘Learning to Drive in Birmingham’ by Laisul Hoque

4 July – 3 October 2026

Grand Union in partnership with Bow Arts are pleased to present ‘Learning to Drive in Birmingham’, a new body of work by Laisul Hoque culminating in a solo exhibition launching 3 July, as part of Digbeth First Friday.

In ‘Learning to Drive in Birmingham’ Laisul, a Bangladeshi immigrant now living in the UK, attempts to navigate Birmingham through driving lessons, conversations in cars, and phone calls from home.

Filmed inside vehicles and among construction sites, blocked roads, and sprawling South Asian neighbourhoods on the city’s outskirts, the work reflects on mobility, belonging, and displacement, while offering a glimpse into the lives of Bangladeshi communities who have made Birmingham their home.

As the artist learns to drive in a city seemingly built around cars, encounters with friends, driving instructors, and archival traces of Bangladeshi political figures reveal Birmingham’s deep connections to Bangladesh and its diaspora.

Moving between intimate conversations and urban observation, the film unfolds as a portrait of a city in transition, where personal experiences intersect with migration, infrastructure, and histories that continue to travel between Birmingham and Bangladesh.

This work is supported by Arts Council England, Bow Arts East London Art Prize and Grand Union. With thanks to MJM Bespoke for fabrication and installation.

Exhibition Launch: Friday, 3 July 2026, 5–8pm

For more information about the night and to see what else is happening in Digbeth, please visit the Digbeth First Friday website here: https://digbethfirstfriday.com/

Exhibition Continues: 4 July – 3 October 2026, Wednesday, 2–5pm, and Thursday to Saturday, 12–5pm

‘Learning to Drive in Birmingham’ will screen online via our website, during the opening and closing weekends of the exhibition:

Friday, 3 July – Monday, 6 July 2026

Friday, 2 October – Monday, 5 October 2026

Content Warning

The conversations and archival footage included in the film discuss the political experience of being Bangladeshi and the history of Bangladesh.

There are brief, scattered references to some topics that some viewers may find upsetting including: warfare, loss of life, violence, assassination, military coups, colonialism, genocide, and racial prejudice. There are images/ videos of weapons, uprisings, and the aftermath of violence.

Click here to download the 'Learning to Drive in Birmingham' Press Release (PDF) →To learn more about Laisul Hoque, click here to visit their 'Artist Projects' page →