Beach walk inspired new BALTIC show
A brilliant brace of exhibitions opens in Gateshead
Two new exhibitions open at Baltic this weekend, worthy successors to those they replace (by sculptor and film-maker Ali Cherri and painters Rachel and Laura Lancaster).
A group show on Level 4 features the work of 12 artists interested in the sea and marine ecosystems.
The title, For All At Last Return, comes from a book by American marine biologist Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us, a 1951 bestseller (Carson also wrote Silent Spring, exposing the damage done by pesticides).
Baltic curator Emma Dean said it had partly inspired the exhibition, as had the writings of another American scientist, Donna Haraway.
But it had also been triggered by events closer to home: “The die back of crustaceans off the North East coast that was in the news and, I must say, going to the beach and seeing plastic trash on it.
“That was upsetting and it set me wondering how we could use contemporary art to address the topic.”
Emma said she had no trouble assembling a list of artists to contribute and the result is beautiful and thought-provoking. A little depressing, too, possibly?
“It deals with realities we’re facing,” said Emma “But there’s poetry and wonder and magic in this show. It’s about regeneration and resilience so there is a message of hope.”
Level 3 is now the domain of Saodat Ismailova, a Paris-based Uzbek film-maker admired for a long time by Baltic curator Katharine Welsh.
Her films, notably new commission Swan Lake, offer an insight into popular culture in Central Asia and the effects of ‘perestroika’, the upheaval brought about by the Soviet bloc’s disintegration.
Ismailova’s first major UK exhibition, called As We Fade, is beautifully presented and very cool indeed although Swan Lake, assembled from feature films watched illicitly, includes some disturbing imagery.
There’s no need to rush to see these exhibitions since they run until June 7. But they certainly merit repeat visits. Details from the Baltic website.