Hinterlands

Artists

Michele Allen, Uma Breakdown, Jo Coupe, Foundation Press, Laura Harrington, Emily Hesse, Alexandra Hughes, Dawn Felicia Knox, Mani Kambo, Sheree Angela Matthews, Anne Vibeke Mou and Sabina Sallis.

Hinterlands is a group exhibition that invites us to consider our relationship with the land and its ecosystems. Rooted in the landscape of the North East of England, the exhibition explores its histories, legacies, mythologies and potential futures for its custodianship. Considering land and place as a complex layering of relationships, it explores this idea through the possibilities of materials and contexts: geological, biological and social, shaped and hardened by history.

Reflecting on the idea of hinterlands, or what lies beyond the visible or known, the exhibition brings together new and existing works by artists connected with the region. They engage with how the landscape has been occupied through processes of power, oppression and violence. They consider the role of alchemy, witchcraft and folklore, seeking sensitive thresholds, and collapsing boundaries. Foregrounding the land’s own agency, the works in the exhibition address these questions through the artist’s processes, which include witnessing, human and more-than-human relationships, speculative fiction and world-building.

Emily Hesse (27 April 1980 - 4 November 2022)

We are sad to share the news of artist Emily Hesse’s passing. Emily (27 April 1980 - 4 November 2022) was a profoundly gifted and imaginative artist with a fierce intellect and passion for the North East. She had a unique voice and played an important role in the area’s cultural scene. We are thinking of her family and friends at this sad time. Emily’s work is currently on display at Baltic on Level 3 as part of the group exhibition Hinterlands. A book condolence will be on Level 3 from Wednesday 9 November 2022.