A King’s Cross gallery is currently alive with birdsong, reimagining the 12th-century Persian poem The Conference of the Birds as a gently immersive exhibition.
The poem itself is an allegory: a gathering of birds set out on a spiritual quest, each one embodying a particular human flaw or attachment. Passing through seven symbolic valleys, they face trials and moments of revelation, before realising that the divine presence they seek lies within themselves.
That sense of pilgrimage carries into the gallery. You are invited to take your own quiet journey through a wide range of avian-themed artworks inspired by the poem, each offering a different response to its ideas.
The exhibition opens with a delicately constructed piece made from flowers and grasses. While it initially brought to mind corn doilies more than birds, it’s a subtle and beautiful way to begin, setting a tone of craft and calm.
From there, the show moves fluidly between small bird paintings, vast murals influenced by Islamic art, and finely observed sketches. Some works present birds in still, formal profiles; others capture the energy and rhythm of flight. Particularly effective are the moments where birds merge with geometric patterns, creating elegant hybrids that feel both natural and abstract.
Scattered among the contemporary works are several 16th-century pieces on loan, and beyond the main display sit a couple of cases containing older objects, including an early Qur’an placed alongside a modern, graffiti-style reinterpretation.
Taken as a whole, the exhibition is wide-ranging but gently cohesive — a peaceful, almost garden-like space, where art, history and birdsong have come together in harmony.
The exhibition, Canticle of the Birds, is at the Aga Khan Centre in King’s Cross until the end of May.
It’s open daily and free to visit.
Note, next to the gallery entrance, are handouts with details of the artwork to read up.