The BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead presents ‘A Joyful Parasite’, a major new exhibition by Spanish artist Saelia Aparicio, running from 5th July 2025 to February 2026.
Now based in London, Aparicio brings her multidisciplinary practice to BALTIC with a compelling mix of mural, sculpture, and video. Her work, often laced with humour and subversion, explores the paradoxes of daily life, engaging audiences through what she describes as “whispers instead of statements”. This subtlety challenges conventional interpretations and invites deeper reflection on how we experience art.
The title itself invites a double take – initially misread as ‘A Joyful Paradise’ – highlighting the duality central to the exhibition. Drawing on mythologies from Ancient Egypt to Mesoamerica, Aparicio investigates the hybridisation of animal and human forms, gender fluidity, and alternative understandings of humanity. Through speculative world-building and imaginative character creation, the exhibition aims to establish “analogies between corporeal and social mechanisms”, positioning bodies as metaphors for wider societal structures.
Blending the fantastical with the intimate, ‘A Joyful Parasite’ is a rich, provocative journey into how identities, systems, and environments intersect. It’s a must-see for those interested in contemporary art’s power to provoke, question, and reimagine.
For further information, head to Baltic.art.
