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 interweaves rituals, myths and dreams within the tapestry of everyday life. Spanning film, sound installation and sculpture, she often uses archival footage alongside striking iconography and hypnotic narratives that trace the loss marked by successive regime change to the spiritual memory of the region. The exhibition includes the premiere of ‘Swan Lake 2025’ – a double-channel film composed from existing feature films from post-Soviet Central Asia. It seeks to capture the spirit of a period of immense transition in the region’s recent history – Perestroika – a time that remains a neglected part of collective experience.

Saodat Ismailova, until 7 June, Baltic, Gateshead, baltic.art