From 4th July 2026 until 17th January 2027, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead will host ‘Journey To The Great Below’, the first major UK solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Chitra Ganesh. The exhibition will present an ambitious body of work featuring recent prints and paintings, new sculptural commissions, a site-specific wall drawing and a newly created animation, alongside works across a variety of media.
Ganesh’s career spans more than 25 years and has evolved from painting and drawing into an expansive practice encompassing sculpture, animation and installation. Her work draws inspiration from a rich range of influences, including anime, science fiction and surrealism, alongside her studies in literature and social theory. Central to her practice is a fascination with figures from mass-market Indian comics and statuary culture, creating a striking fusion of the ancient, contemporary and futuristic.
Named after its central animated work, inspired by the world’s oldest recorded mythical tale, the exhibition explores many of Ganesh’s recurring artistic themes. Through politically charged landscapes and imagined futures, she examines alternative and utopian possibilities, often using symbolic figures that range from ancient architectural forms to modern superheroes.
The result is a visually immersive and intellectually ambitious exhibition that considers themes including psychic transformation, sexuality and political power. While the concepts at the heart of the work are complex, Ganesh presents them with extraordinary imagination and visual energy, making ‘Journey To The Great Below’ both thought-provoking and deeply engaging.
The exhibition promises to be one of BALTIC’s major highlights for 2026 and a significant moment in the North East’s contemporary arts calendar.
For further information, head to Baltic.art.
