Baltic Flour Mills gateshead

[tanama]

I've named changed for this as local to me

I haven't been here for a while but I went a few days ago. Felt it had gone downhill, the current exhibitions were a bit naff and they have changed the cafe which was overpriced. I quite like the shop but it is £££££ and the viewing platform was shut.

One exhibition was by Ad Minoliti who "uses feminist and queer theory to generate alternative interpretations of painting, design, architecture, art history and visual language" and featured giant cartoonish cats and wolves in silky dressing gowns which have me an AGP vibe.

Anyway, as you go into the lobby there are neon signs EVERYWHERE you look about hate crime, hit it won't be tolerated, etc etc, it then lists characteristics which hate crime can be based on and of course sex isn't on there but gender identity is.

It it just me who thinks that this is completely unnecessary?How much hate crime occurs exactly in a modern art gallery with an overpriced cafe mainly frequented by middle class types?? Or is this just virtue signally by the gallery trying to prove their woke credentials?

If you are someone who belongs to a minority group I think it would out you on edge and give you the impression that you are likely to face "hate" at every turn as you survey the pretentious art.

I wonder if the Harry miller case will mean we will see less of this.

So agp is definitely trans then blueberry?

I've probably popped into the Baltic twice a year since it opened minimum, and in that time they've had two decent things:-

1. An urban 1980s utilitarian play area - because it kept my kids entertained for over an hour

1. A small decorative side table with fruit piled on top, and wired into all the fruit were little blades which were hacking at the legs under the table. Fabulous!

That's it.

@BlueberryCheezecake

All I'm learning here is there's literally nothing you lot won't try and blame on "AGP". If you meant it gave you a furry vibe, then say that. Not the same thing.

So you are saying that it does equal trans? Good to know what you think!

Did you actually know what furries are before this thread? It's okay to admit it if you didn't. It may be a bit after your time.

So you are saying that it does equal trans? Good to know what you think!

The artist themselves says the installation has queer influences.

then lists characteristics which hate crime can be based on and of course sex isn't on there but gender identity is.

Unfortunately they're simply reflecting a Stonewall captured CPS which long ago decided to misrepresent the law:

www.cps.gov.uk/crime-info/hate-crime

Unfortunately they're simply reflecting a Stonewall captured CPS which long ago decided to misrepresent the law:

They are a pretentious art gallery. I mean I'm as much of a sucker for a pretentious art gallery with a nice café attached as the next person but do they really need to spell this out over several pages?

[quote nauticant]then lists characteristics which hate crime can be based on and of course sex isn't on there but gender identity is.

Unfortunately they're simply reflecting a Stonewall captured CPS which long ago decided to misrepresent the law:

www.cps.gov.uk/crime-info/hate-crime[/quote]
Why do say that is misrepresenting the law? Sex is a protected characteristic for discrimination in employment, housing, services etc but it isn't for the purposes of considering if an incident is an aggravated hate crime.

Sounds bloody terrifying, OP. Are art galleries generally the scene for a lot of hate crime and prejudice? What does that tell us about art loving types, eh? Bunch of uncouth bastards, a rabble whacking each other with rolled up copies of Guardian Weekend while shouting unfashionable slurs? They should probably introduce more security. The venue sounds well hard and edgy though. Do the invigilators carry tasers?

Arabella

I've probably popped into the Baltic twice a year since it opened minimum, and in that time they've had two decent things

I went 3 times when it was still new and haven't bothered since (live in NE so in the area), the opening exhibition was good but everything since has been shite. It is by far the worst art gallery I've ever been to. I suspect I've been spoilt though, I grew up in the back of beyond but we had a fabulous modern art gallery with a really good permanent collection that rooted the temporary displays. I think the issue with the Baltic is the lack of a good permanent collection.

Translation: It's a Thing You Don't Like so you had to try and blame it on the nasty transes somehow

You are the only person who has linked AGP to trans in this thread.

The OP was linking it to kink/fetish. It made her uncomfortable to see apparently male fetish art on display in a public gallery.

I'm so glad you posted as yes, I've been having small tantrums about this since I visited the summer exhibition and was hit by the giant hate crime tv ads screens on entry.

(Ive also had to name change as I do work with some of the people there in a professional capacity. This could still be outing.)

Did you see the exhibition handbook?

It was fucking horrific.

Yes those are furries.

The artist (they) goes to great lengths to talk about the violence and murder of woman and girls in the artist's home country and then on the facing page argues for queer feminism being the saviour and how important they /them pronouns are. So erasure of actual women on one side and erasure of them in culture on the other, replacing with furries (as far as I could tell.)

It's been a while since I read it but the artist has a website; I've grumpily shoved the leaflets somewhere.

I think I mentioned the exhibition in a tweet to the baltic and links of furries to various awfulness and I noticed they stopped promoting the exhibit on emails for kids.

Prior to this there had been a big campaign promoting this to parents children and teens, running queer workshops etc over the summer.

I actually like the Baltic. Yes you get duds. Yes the shop is expensive (get ideas and buy elsewhere) but the coffee and cake downstairs is now free (donation based but they don't push it.)

The Judy Chicago exhibition in 2019 was stunning and they've had a long lovely programme of working with local send schools and have always had a sensory focus. I now know some of the artists they work with, can definitely recommend and I'm pretty sure one is GC. I've was also told that one person there isn't happy about all the queer shit. But I'm not sure if they're still there.

The OP was linking it to kink/fetish

The artist links it to kink and fetish. In the hand book. On the page after descriptions of murder of women and girls. Handed out to kids all summer. With cute colouring in sheets. I'll find it later and screen shot.

I wish I'd got a reporter on it tbh but I had far too many other things going on to take it any further.

Alongside the HATE CRIME boards shoved in your face and the glares from v young blue haired gallery attendants (I'm not kidding and I felt extremely closely watched unlike the usual friendly people)

It felt sinister.

Posted too soon I'm so fucked off.

None of that for Judy Chicago.

@PaynesGreyer that is fascinating thank you.

It's interesting as the exhibition has what looked like kids play equipment in it like bean bags, spinning egg chairs and soft play style shapes but any kids who were actually playing on the were told off by an officious guide. So that might explain the mixed messages.

We went to the cafe on the upper ground level, not the donations one- last time I went in that bit they had ran out of cake

It's a shame as I have enjoyed going in the past and have seen some good stuff there but I definitely thought the vibe was off this time.

They're good at accessibility:

Large print handout (no images.)

https://baltic.art/uploads/AdMinolitii-LargeePrint.pdf

Yes they love getting kids in and they deliberately plan exhibitions in the summer that encourage play. They twigged the parents spend money.

I've been to some amazing workshops for kids there pre pandemic. Absolutely packed too. Some free, some paid. They really do engage a lot locally, with families and schools.

Which is why I'm so fucking angry about this particular exhibition.

"The exhibition features Minoliti’s ongoing project The Feminist School of Painting, transforming part of the gallery space into an active classroom. Through bi-weekly painting workshops, the school will deconstruct historical narratives and reimagine the traditional genre of landscape painting from a feminist, intersectional and queer perspective. In partnership with a multidisciplinary group of artists, academics, writers, and activists, the workshops will revaluate the structure of art education and promote accessibility, creativity and curiosity over any art-specific expertise."

That handout is a shorter version.I'll have to find the other one.

@BlueberryCheezecake

Maybe the reason they've put those signs up is because people keep graffitiing the place up with stickers. What on earth makes you think it's ok to go sticking stuff all over museum exhibits. What childish behaviour.

I've never seen any graffiti there. Or stickers. The neon signs went up with the exhibition.

They've had LGB and feminist exhibitions before. Never had any of that tripe.

Started using pronouns a couple
of years ago in emails.

I might be wrong but im sure another exhibition (Phyllis Christopher?) said under 16s should be accompanied but the creepy kinky one had no such disclaimer and seemed to in some ways encourage children in with the play equipment