'The Elephant in the Room: The Roots and Routes of the City’s Collections' brings together a wide range of objects, from natural science to art collections. It explores how artefacts from around the world came to be part of Birmingham Museums’ collections.

Items in the gallery include the Sultanganj Buddha, one of the most significant early bronze statues from India which was discovered during the building of the Indian railway, a 22-foot-long Inuit kayak and mummified animals.

These and other objects raise important questions about how museums collect, display, and interpret cultural heritage over time.

The display was created in response to visitors who wanted to better understand the origins of Birmingham’s collection. It explores how Birmingham’s global history and its role in the British Empire have informed what and how objects have come to the museum and what they mean for people in the city today, as well as in their countries of origin.

It also aims to encourage reflection on some of the wider issues facing museums today, including topics such as empire, colonialism, repatriation and the display of human remains.

Free entry, on level 2.