A TOP arts venue in Birmingham is being forced to close in April after its funding was slashed.

Ikon Eastside, which relied on funding from Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England West Midlands, has hosted work by world-famous artists including Andy Warhol and Damian Ortega.

The exhibition space in Digbeth, which opened in 2005, was also one of the venues for the Flatpack film festival as well as the International Dance Festival and Supersonic event. In 2007, the disused warehouse hosted Jacques Nimki’s Florilegium exhibition, which involved laying a meadow inside the building.

Jonathan Watkins, Ikon director, said: “We are extremely saddened to be losing Ikon Eastside but our commitment to bringing internationally recognised art to the city is unwavering.

“Looking to the future, our goal remains to create a permanent museum of contemporary art for Birmingham.”

It was reported in December that the gallery faced losing its £200,000-a-year funding in the squeeze on public spending.