New Baltic exhibition signals the importance of welcome
A new exhibition on the theme of welcome highlights Baltic’s status as an official Gallery of Sanctuary, a designation earned and conferred in 2022.
It includes a variety of artworks made in collaboration with communities Baltic works with.
Called We all came here from somewhere, Annie Bedford, communities producer at Baltic and co-curator, explains that it “signals the importance of welcome for people seeking sanctuary and raises awareness about the unwelcoming nature of the UK asylum system”.
It includes newly commissioned portrait photographs by Kuba Ryniewicz, a video work called Understanding the UK Asylum System: Myths and Realities, made by Zilan Kuzu, a banner by Tracy Affleck called Together with Refugees and work by North Tyneside schools of sanctuary
There’s also a new photographic portrait series called Asylum: A Long and Painful Process that was made by Sadia Sikandar (pictured) in collaboration with people helped by the Walking With charity that works with refugees and asylum seekers.
Clare Campbell, Walking With’s operations manager, says: “We hope this exhibition will challenge people’s perceptions of what it means to seek sanctuary and encourage them to think beyond the words ‘asylum seeker’ to understand the individuals and the very real difficulties they face in a damaging system.”
The exhibition runs at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead from November 23 until February 9, 2025. Visit the website for more information.