UPDATE: This is the gallery and the gallery is many things

Birmingham, like most cities, is littered with would-be iconic and landmark offices. Yet few of these multimillion-pound developments are as visually impressive as the office constructed for contemporary gallery Eastside Projects. Originally commissioned for the 2007 Venice Biennale, it's an oddly shaped wooden construction by Heather and Ivan Morison that looks like something you'd expect to find on a Guillermo Del Toro film set.

Called Pleasure Island, the two-room construction makes for an unforgettable focal point. 'It's built from wood from Heather and Ivan's arboretum in Wales and the shape is based on a Fool's Gold crystal they were given in Peru,' says artist/curator Gavin Wade, adding that directors of other galleries, whose days are spent in stuffy white rooms, have quietly voiced their envy. 'I work in a real piece of art,' he smiles. 'But it's interesting as it throws up lots of questions. In an artist-run space, can everything be art? Can the kitchen be art? Can the way we adapt the space be art?'

The Eastside venture was conceived by Wade and run with artists Ruth Claxton, Simon Bloor and Tom Bloor, architect Celine Condorelli and designer James Langdon. It launches this weekend with This Is The Gallery And The Gallery Is Many Things: a group show that underlines the gallery's forward-thinking manifesto.

Featuring interior and exterior billboards by Liam Gillick, plus contributions by Peter Fend, ex-KLF man Bill Drummond, Lawrence Weiner, Chen Shaoxiong and more than 20 other artists whose work spans performance, film, text and sculpture, each contributor will add to the exhibition over time. The result is a constantly evolving show that will also act as an introduction for later projects as the gallery aims to build strong ongoing relationships with artists.