To Own Both Nothing and the Whole World

Part of Refugee Week 2025, To Own Both Nothing and the Whole World is a powerful new exhibition by artists Henna Asikainen and Roua Horanieh at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead.

Developed with the involvement of local people with lived experience of displacement, the exhibition reflects on ideas of home, belonging and community in the context of migration and the climate crisis. The artists have used foraged materials from the surrounding landscape - like willow, storm-felled trees, and ancient roots - to craft immersive works which invite reflection on the interconnected journeys of people, plants and place.

The exhibition’s centrepiece explores the remarkable story of the Taihaku cherry trees - once thought extinct in Japan, but revived by a single migrant tree growing in the UK.

Spanning multiple spaces at BALTIC, including the entrance Lightbox, Ground Floor and the Level 5 Viewing Box, this thought-provoking exhibition is woven into the fabric of the gallery itself.

A special one-off Midsummer Night Event will also take place on Saturday 21 June, featuring talks from the artists, plus music, food and storytelling around a fire pit.

Don’t miss this timely and moving exhibition marking 80 years of the Moomins and honouring nature, resilience and community.