We’ve had a sneak preview of some of the amazing exhibitions that are set to light up Baltic in 2025 – which we detail below – but one show that you simply must go and see is Mani Kambo’s ‘Ax-is Mun-di’, which is open to visitors now.

Mani Kambo: Ax-is Mun-di

Mani Kambo is a Newcastle based artist who I first became aware of when she staged a solo show at Vane back in 2018. That show was ‘RIFT’ and it saw Kambo exploring the lore surrounding fortune telling, dream states and the human psyche. This involved her creating abstract prints through collage and layered imagery, the pieces working together like fragments of memory. Her Baltic show meanwhile – which is a major new commission and the artist’s first institutional exhibition – sees her drawing on her own personal totemic symbols to explore the inner spirit. She actually grew up in a household that was filled with motifs that took in everything from superstition to prayer to religious ceremony. But here, Kambo is questioning the routines, objects and rituals that are distilled in the everyday. It’s a show that demonstrates Kambo’s very real interest in the human soul and its connection to the cosmos. It was inspired by the Latin words ‘axis mundi’ (translation: ‘world axis’), a phrase that has become a common symbol in many religions and regions. For Kambo, it represents a vertical bridge between heaven and earth, and this revelatory show sees her with her hands very much in clay (metaphorically speaking) while her head is in the stars. Her work records movement and documents performative actions – the hand that creates the action, fire that reveals, water which is the purifier, and eyes that perceive – through the exploration of those all-important totemic objects and symbols. Through layering and editing images together she collages narratives and weaves dreamscapes. These visuals are repeated throughout her work like markers linking to notions of spirituality and belief in reincarnation. In short: this is a stunning show to start to 2025 and should not be missed.

Until 1 June

2025 highlights

We’ve been lucky enough to get a glimpse at some of the fantastic exhibitions that are coming our way courtesy of Baltic throughout 2025 and among the highlights is sure to be Ali Cherri: How I Am Monument (12 April-12 October). Cherri works across film, sculpture, installation, drawing and performance and his practice is inspired both by archaeological artefacts and the natural world, exploring the temporal shifts between ancient civilisations and contemporary societies. ‘How I Am Monument’ will be the first major UK institutional presentation of Cherri’s work. I’m particularly looking forward to a joint show from Laura and Rachel Lancaster (12 April-12 October). The Crack waxed lyrical about Laura Lancaster’s show at the NGCA last year and with good reason. Her expressive and visually stunning oils see her transfiguring found images (often from old photographs) into pieces that celebrate the very act of creating art while also layering them with a delicate poignancy. Her identical twin, Rachel Lancaster, is also a painter, but her work sees her investigating forgotten, fragmentary moments. Her pieces could be described as hushed, but tension is created through their undoubted narrative pull. In the summer Baltic are welcoming Henna Asikainen, with Horanieh: Moomin 80 Commission (June). This project celebrates Tove Jansson’s beloved book ‘The Moomins and the Great Flood’, which was first published in 1945 and praised for its timeless themes of inclusiveness and belonging. Looking further ahead Baltic has Saelia Aparicio: A Joyful Parasite (5 July-1 February), a major new commission and solo exhibition from the London-based Spanish artist; Harold Offeh (5 July 2005-1 February 2006) – the artist developing new work for family audiences; For All At Last Return (8 November 2025-3 May 2026) a group show exploring marine ecosystems; and Saodat Ismailova (8 November 2025-3 May 2026), a filmmaker and artist who interweaves rituals, myths and dreams within the tapestry of everyday life.

 Baltic, Gateshead.

Full listings and details on everything else that is going on at Baltic from: baltic.art