Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

May 2023 saw the first survey exhibition of renowned British artist Fiona Crisp, Weighting Time, which presented 30 years of Crisp’s large-scale photography and film installations exploring connection to spaces and ideas beyond our own lived experience.

The exhibition was held in partnership with Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, presenting a major exhibition across both NGCA’s Main Gallery and the Museum’s Special Exhibitions Gallery. Additionally, a striking new 4x5m public artwork banner, specially commissioned for the exhibition, was displayed in Mowbray Park.

With shared audiences across the two venues, Weighting Time attracted new visitors, both local and national, to experience Fiona Crisp’s artwork. A wide range of learning and engagement opportunities accompanied the exhibition including artist talks, tours, in-venue audio guides, trails and family and school workshops. Also as part of the exhibition, nine students and staff from the University of Sunderland’s Fine Art and Photography departments were invited to present their own artwork exploring the exhibition themes, which were displayed on a digital screen and two illuminated lightboxes. Throughout the programme 3,000 printed in-venue activity sheets and 2,000 exhibition guides were used by visitors in dedicated activity spaces throughout the NGCA gallery, National Glass Centre and Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens.

In the Collection Space, NGCA presented a new digital work by leading American artist and pioneer in the field of new media art, Cory Arcangel, which explored the potential and failures of old and new digital technologies.

Sunderland is lucky to have such a great exhibition space showing contemporary art and photography. Staff are very knowledgeable. Long may it continue.

Visitor feedback

A white wall with grey text printed on it to the left which reads ‘Fiona Crisp: Weighing Time – An exhibition across two venues’. To the right of the text is a framed photograph of an industrial-looking doorway. To the right again of the photograph is grey double doors with a silver push pad next to them. Above the doors is a grey panel with white text on it that reads Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

In September, thanks to our partnership with Arts Council Collection and The New Art Gallery Walsall, NGCA welcomed the first solo exhibition in the North East in almost 30 years, by internationally acclaimed British artist Mike Nelson. Hybrid Scripts invited viewers to reflect on Britain’s colonial past, migration and travel, with younger visitors being invited to engage through accessible activity sheets and a dedicated play space inspired by the themes throughout the building.

To coincide with the exhibition, NCGA hosted a roundtable discussion funded by the British Art Network which explored the current climate for producing, commissioning, exhibiting and collecting ambitious installation art.

We presented 900 miles: (From Home), the first UK solo exhibition by Middlesbrough-born and Newcastle based artist photographer, printmaker and researcher Jade Sweeting. Situated in the Collection Space, the exhibition was a visual representation of the strength and confidence of women who ride motorcycles. It was inspired and dedicated to ‘every woman who rides, who gets their hands dirty and who wants to be free.’

In early 2024, NGCA installed its first Collection Display across National Glass Centre, where the gallery is located, featuring a selection of photographic works from its own collection.