BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
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There is a distortion of time in BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead; a strange anomaly in the fabric of space. Curious works are in the gallery, they could be from a bygone age, a distant future or a parallel world. In a way, each is true; they are birthed from the mind of Pakistani-American artist Huma Bhabha, whose imagination traverses time, space and genre. Review by Christopher Little
Online
In times of magnified instability and palpable uncertainty, it’s tempting to seek the steady hand of explanation, to cling onto what seems to offer refuge in simplicity and sureness. Truth and falsity, reality and artifice, the allure of these black and white flipsides lies in their illusory straightforwardness. Review by Cultura Plasmic Inc.
BALTIC, Gateshead NE8 3BA
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The curator of the show, Filipa Ramos, says that the starting point is Deleuze’s text 'Becoming-Animal', but it goes beyond the theory. Deleuze, while writing about Francis Bacon, states that between human and animal, there is a deep identity, a zone of indiscernibility, that is more profound than any sentimental identification. Review by Gulnaz Can
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, S Shore Rd, Gateshead NE8 3BA
The technological revolution was meant to liberate us, but it has flooded society with endless torrents of information, cataracts of algorithms and a deluge of uncertainty. James Bridle has written fervent polemics warning us of our perilous fate should we not develop a new “systemic literacy” to navigate these unknown waters. Responding to his call, ‘Digital Citizen’ unites the work of ten artists to inspire conversations on citizenship, democracy, identity and reality in a digital world. Review by Christopher Little
Workplace, The Old Post Office, 19-21 West Street Gateshead, Tyne & Wear NE8 1AD
Hesse’s questioning of her own proximity to the notional centre of the art is illustrated by the circle drawn on the gallery floor that the pin hangs above - is she inside or outside the circuit of acceptance? The artist can be heard reading from her book ‘Black Birds Born from Invisible Stars’ which details touchingly her frequently disenchanting encounters with art institutions. Review by Piers Masterson
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, S Shore Rd, Gateshead NE8 3BA
Phillipson also throws a good measure of animal love into this heady mix, and none are more receiving of this affection than the colony of Kittiwakes that nest on BALTIC’s exterior. Their distinctive squawks are mixed into the electronic trance music, while wall-mounted television screens show ‘live’ feeds of the birds and a downloadable app reveals their ‘augmented reality excrement’. Review by Christopher Little
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, S Shore Rd, Gateshead NE8 3BA
Susan Philipsz’s work has often been described as a form of ‘sound sculpture’ that you hear long before you see it. The exact significance behind A Single Voice is not perfectly clear. Philipsz has pointed out that the apocalyptic story of Aniara holds just as much relevance today as when the poem was first written in 1956 (arguably more), and the mournful quality of the deconstructed violin combined with the player’s stark isolation as she accompanies an invisible, inaudible orchestra through her headphones, could almost be read as a last chilling goodbye to the human race as it peters into extinction. Review by Sara Jaspan
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead Quays, S Shore Rd, Gateshead NE8 3BA
Luke Naessens interviews Brian Griffiths about his exhibition 'BILL MURRAY: a story of distance, size, and sincerity' at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, South Shore Road, Gateshead NE8 3BA
The BALTIC Artists’ Award is a clear attempt to combat some of the issues associated with prize exhibitions through a format that provides an actual and equal opportunity for four artists to develop and showcase significant new bodies of work. The award has no limit on age or nationality, is selected by some of the world’s leading contemporary artists (who also mentor the shortlisted artists) and has no ‘winners’ or ‘losers,’ with prize money (totalling £30,000 per artist) shared equally amongst the four. Review by Amy Jones
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead Quays, South Shore Road, Gateshead NE8 3BA
It is no exaggeration to say there are many layers to Holly Hendry’s ‘Wrot,’ both literally and metaphorically. In her first major institutional exhibition, the emerging British artist presents an imaginative body of work that demonstrates her boldness and ingenuity. Review by Christopher Little
Tyneside Cinema, Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6QG
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Taking form as a web-series in twelve episodes, originally released weekly in soap-opera style, ‘Revisiting Genesis’ explores, amongst other things, the philosophical, socio-political, practical and emotional implications of the processes surrounding death and withdrawal. Review by Mette Kjærgaard Præst
BALTIC Gateshead NE8 3BA
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Lithuanian artist Deimantas Narkevicius carefully considers what was left behind.
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead Quays, South Shore Road, Gateshead NE8 3BA
‘The Playground Project’ at BALTIC seeks to put the subversive back into play. The exhibition, first staged at Kunsthalle, Zürich, reconnects us with the playground’s historical connections to social activism and utopian thinking. Review by Elly Thomas
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead Quays, South Shore Road, Gateshead NE8 3BA
In continuity with her work of the past, the pieces forming this current survey exhibition at BALTIC demonstrate Achaintre’s ongoing interest in the primitive - its aesthetic qualities, visual references and associations. Review by Emma Warburton
