Born in South Shields in 1956, Murtha returned to Newcastle from university to document life in her Elswick community, capturing the social impact of industrial decline with honesty, empathy and urgency.

Opening in summer 2026, this landmark exhibition in Baltic’s Level 3 gallery marks the first time four major series by celebrated documentary photographer Tish Murtha will be shown together in the North East, alongside a newly commissioned body of work by Newcastle–based artist Kuba Ryniewicz.

Developed in close collaboration with her daughter, Ella Murtha, the exhibition honours Tish’s vision and the continued stewardship of her archive. Her images remain a vital record of working-class experience and a powerful call to acknowledge the inequalities that persist today. Baltic will present, for the first time together, works from the series Elswick Kids, Elswick Revisited, Save Scotswood Works and Youth Unemployment...