Baltic are presenting the first solo exhibition in the UK from artist and filmmaker Saodat Ismailova, a leading voice in Central Asian art. Working between Paris and Tashkent, Ismailova came of age in the post-Soviet era Uzbekistan. Her work interweave…

Discover inspiring real-life stories from South Asian women who made Tyneside their home, at, where else, the Discovery Museum in Newcastle. This powerful exhibition of stories uses film, photographs and words to celebrate the lives of first-generatio…

Claire Ward’s fascinating show ‘Intimately Connected’ is at Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery in Alnwick this January and February. Claire Ward: “My connection with landscape and nature began in childhood when I roamed woods and pasture close to my home in …

Newcastle-based artist Anne Cohen is having a pop-up exhibition of her extraordinary paintings at her own house in Coxlodge. And yes, you’re invited. Anne Cohen’s paintings are absolutely teeming with life. Her portraits are big and bold and absolutely…

‘For All At Last Return’ is a major group show at Baltic that explores different marine ecosystems, from near-shore and intertidal zones to coral reefs, the open ocean and the deep sea, considering our relationships with these fragile environments and the…

‘Monumental’ at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art in Sunderland features artwork from the NGCA collection, selected by second and third year, University of Sunderland fine art students. The students have been exploring the NGCA collection in t…

‘Street Above’ is an exhibition at Segedunum that shows the roads and buildings that covered Roman Wallsend. This image is Gerald Street in Wallsend circa 1966 (image courtesy of Joe McCarty) and it’s just one of the many fascinating pics you can see i…

A new exhibition at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens explores the changing landscape of post-industrial areas of the north-east. Award-winning artist Narbi Price and acclaimed writer Mark Hudson have combined to create ‘Going Back Brockens: Monuments…

Award winning artist Uta Kögelsberger explores humanity’s relationship with nature in a show at the Hatton Gallery in Newcastle. Through a series of interconnected works spanning video, sound and installation, the exhibition continues Kögelsberger’s su…

‘Dressed for Departure: Fashion in the Age of Rail’ is currently showing at The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle. ‘Dressed for Departure’ brings together historic fashion, artworks and objects that reflect on how engineering advances reshaped lives and cul…

Cosy, huh? And capturing all the warmth and bonhomie of one of Newcastle’s finest pubs is one of Newcastle’s finest painters – Jim Edwards. And Jim is welcoming visitors to his studio and gallery throughout December. Anyone who’s ever been to the Free …

The Biscuit Factory has saved two of their very best shows for the end of the year in the shape of work from Beatrice Forshall and Michael Disley. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with the work of Beatrice Forshall (that’s her work pictured – a Huia…

‘Collecting the Past’ at Segedunum showcases archaeological material from outside Britain. During the olden days (I’m talking way back in the 19th and early 20th century – not pre-TikTok), many local museums were set up with the intention of educating …

Gail-Nina Anderson squints in the direction of ‘Miniature Worlds: Little Landscapes from Thomas Bewick to Beatrix Potter’, which is currently showing at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle. Here’s a handy tip – if the gallery hosting an exhibition with t…

‘In Motion’ at Mima showcases artists from the Middlesbrough Collection who challenge perspectives and deepen our understanding of the world and our place within it. I love this piece from Anwar Jalal Shemza, pictured (‘The Magic Spiral’, 1970). It re…

If you thought that Auckland Palace couldn’t get any more amazing then think again, because the dazzling light trail that is AGLOW returns this November and it will be dazzling visitors right until 2025 takes its final bow. If you’ve a hankering to ste…

Artist Narbi Price and writer Mark Hudson share stories of hope and aspiration in mining communities, 40 years after the Miners’ Strike, in a new exhibition at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens. Fittingly – seeing as it’s 40 years after that era-def…

‘A Joyful Parasite’ is a major new commission at Baltic from London-based Spanish artist, Saelia Aparicio. The work of Saelia Aparicio really does feel unconfined with her stuff drawing on everything from science fiction to biology to bodily memory. A…

Artist Harold Offeh has transformed the ground floor gallery of Baltic into a sci-fi playground, which is very nice of him. Brace yourself for ‘The Mothership Collective 2:0’. ‘The Mothership Collective 2:0’ invites visitors of all ages to imagine pote…

In a major new commission at The Bowes Museum, acclaimed artist Pippa Hale has reimagined the museum’s renowned ceramic collection into a vibrant interactive experience for all ages. Naturally, The Bowes Museum’s ceramic collection is rather fragile. N…

Visit The Bowes Museum to discover the timeless elegance, craftsmanship and innovation of the Joséphine Bowes’ textile collection. This captivating display features everything from opulent historical textiles to the cutting-edge creations of French hau…