Creating good food can be an art in itself and that's set to be proved in 2023 when local favourites - ranging from award-winning Tyneside chippies to ice cream shops - share the limelight in a new exhibition.
We don't need telling just how well off we are in the North East for quality food, including the likes of fresh fish caught off our coast, and now South Shields - with its proud reputation of the 'curry mile' - is to be celebrated in an exhibition which is one of a pick of 10 highlight new shows for 2023.
Others set to make their debut in and around Newcastle include a journey back to Ancient Egypt and the finding of Tutankhamun’s tomb; Pre-Raphaelite art and a unique interactive exhibition featuring myths and monsters.
Read more: Four Northumberland openings listed as Time Out's best things to do in 2023
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums has announced the 10 exhibitions to look out for over the coming year and five of them are at the city's Hatton Gallery. It has also confirmed the dates for the return of The Late Shows, the annual 'culture crawl' that will see many of its museums and galleries open late to lay on special tours and activities visitors.
This will be back from May 19-20. Here is the round-up of the other dates for the diary in the run-up to the January launch of the first exhibition of the year.
10 exhibitions to plan a visit for in 2023
Visions of Ancient Egypt - Laing Art Gallery
New Bridge Street, Newcastle, NE1 8AG
January 28 to April 29. Admission charge applies
Ancient Egypt has been imagined and re-imagined across time and continues to fascinate. Focused around how Jean-François Champollion deciphered hieroglyphs in 1822 and Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb 1922, this multi-media exhibition will show multiple visions of Egypt since the Roman period as its culture was both exposed and obscured. Expect paintings, sculpture, decorative art, costume and even some film. Art will range from from ancient Egyptian objects to contemporary works by Chant Avedissian, David Hockney and Chris Ofili. Keep an eye out here.
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham: Paths to Abstraction - Hatton Gallery
King’s Road, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU
February 11 to May 20. Free admission, donations welcomed
Around 70 paintings and drawings by the celebrated Scottish artist will feature in this major display ranging from her early career based on the Cornish landscape to abstract canvases made in the 1960s and early 1970s. A striking scene of the Grindelwald Glacier in Switzerland is set to be a highlight of the exhibition which has been organised in collaboration with the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust. See here.
Myth Quest: Monsters and Mortals - Great North Museum: Hancock
Barras Bridge, Newcastle, NE2 4PT
March 26 to September 3. Free admission, donations welcomed
Expect something completely different in this show which offers an original fantasy adventure in which visitors can play the hero. They will take on the role of an adventurer in this art-story which is part-game and will see them navigate the museum to achieve the ‘reward’ at the end of their quest. Read more here.
To the Roar of the Crowd - Segedunum Roman Fort & Museum
Buddle Street, Wallsend, NE28 6HR
April 8 to October 29. Free for under-16s and residents of NE28, otherwise an admission fee will apply
The Romans used scenes from gladiator fights and chariot-racing as decoration on everyday objects such as oil-lamps, knife-handles and brooches. This exhibition looks at the themes selected and explores the reality behind the imagery. See here.
Essence of Nature: Pre-Raphaelites to British Impressionists - Laing Art Gallery
New Bridge Street, Newcastle, NE1 8AG
May 10 to November 30. Admission charge applies
The Laing’s own rich permanent collection is being dipped into for this special exhibition of landscape painting so expect some absolute gems from the archives. Adding to those will be loans from other regional and national collections too. See here.
Food in South Tyneside - South Shields Museum & Art Gallery
Ocean Road, South Shields, NE33 2JA
June 2 to January 13, 2024. Free admission, donations welcomed
This is the food-theme exhibition and Food in South Tyneside is just its working title so may yet change. It promises to whet the appetite with an exploration of food and drink businesses in South Tyneside over the years, from curry houses on Ocean Road to Coleman’s Fish and Chip shop, Minchella’s ice cream and Dickson’s butchers.
The exhibition will also cover traditional home-cooked food from a range of communities living in the borough but it's not all about celebrating local success as there will be a look at the rise of food banks too. Keep an eye out here.
BA Fine Art Degree Show - Hatton Gallery
June 3–17. Free admission, donations welcomed
Showcasing local talent, this Newcastle University Fine Art BA Degree Show will be bringing together the work of emerging artists at the culmination of four years of study. The exhibition will feature diverse contemporary voices, practices and media including painting, new media, film, video, sculpture, photography, print, sound and installation. See here.
Works on Paper - Hatton Gallery
July 1 to August 5. Free admission, donations welcomed
Hatton’s summer exhibition will showcase drawings, watercolours and prints from both its own and Laing Art Gallery collections. As works on paper are light sensitive, they usually can be displayed for only short periods in temporary exhibitions so this is a rare opportunity to see lesser-known artworks.
Among them will be works ranging from the 16th century to the present day by artists including Samuel Palmer, Frank Auerbach, Laura Lancaster, Chris Ofili and Bronwen Sleigh. Find out more here.
Master of Fine Art Degree Show - Hatton Gallery
August 19 to September 2. Free admission, donations welcomed
After the earlier Fine Art degree show it will be the turn of the Newcastle University Fine Art MFA Degree Show to bring together works in a wide range of disciplines and materials from artists who are either mid-point or graduating on the masters or the PhD programmes. See here.
Matt Rugg: Connecting Form - Hatton Gallery
September 16 to January 13, 2024 (these dates are provisional so yet to be confirmed). Free admission, donations welcomed
This will be the first major retrospective of the work of British abstract artist and teacher Rugg who was born in 1935 and died in 2020 and it is set to display previously-unshown work alongside well-known pieces.
The exhibition is also set to provide a platform for an outreach and learning programme exploring radical shifts in art education. Keep an eye out for more information here.
Read Next
