'In the Dock' selected for Baltic Open Submission 2026

I’m delighted to share that my painting 'In the Dock' has been selected for Baltic Open Submission 2026 at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.

The exhibition runs from 19 September 2026 to 4 April 2027, placing the work inside one of the UK’s most recognised contemporary art spaces. For any artist, having a painting selected for an open exhibition is a powerful moment. It means the work has left the studio, entered a wider conversation, and found a place among other artists, ideas and ways of seeing.

A painting leaving the studio changes the work

A painting can feel complete in the studio, but it does not fully settle until it meets other people. In the studio, the work is private but once the work leaves that space, it enters a different life. It no longer sits among sketches, brushes, paint marks and familiar walls. It faces strangers. People bring their own histories to it. They may stop for a long time, or only glance at it in passing. They may read the title and feel the atmosphere shift. They may find something in it that I did not consciously place there.

That is one of the strongest reasons to exhibit. A painting is made through private labour, but it becomes most alive through public encounter.

Having 'In the Dock' selected for Baltic Open Submission 2026 means the work will be part of that process on a larger scale. The exhibition’s long run, from September 2026 through to April 2027, also gives the painting time. It will not appear for a single evening and disappear again. It will have months in which visitors can meet it, question it, and carry away their own version of it.

Why Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art matters

Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art has a distinctive place in the UK art world. Based on the Gateshead quayside, it is known for presenting contemporary art at a scale that feels open, ambitious and public. It is not tucked away. It sits in a place where art, architecture, water and movement meet.

For an artist, showing work in such a context brings a particular kind of energy. The painting becomes part of a broader field of contemporary practice. It sits near other works that may be very different in medium, subject or approach. That contrast can sharpen the way each work is seen.

An open submission exhibition also has its own character. It gathers work through selection rather than through a single curatorial theme alone. That can create a wide and lively mix of voices. The result is often a snapshot of what artists are making now, across different backgrounds, experiences and ways of working.

Being selected for that kind of exhibition feels generous because it places the work into conversation. It says the painting has something to contribute, not as an isolated object, but as part of a larger exchange.

Artwork

Exhibition

Venue

Dates

'In the Dock'

Baltic Open Submission 2026

Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art

19 September 2026 to 4 April 2027