Vandals destroy South Shields art gallery days before opening

Two artists have been left “heartbroken” after vandals broke in and destroyed their gallery days before it was set to open.

Laura Robertson and Theodore Godfrey-Cass were set to launch The Market Gallery at a former Wilko store in South Shields, but discovered on Tuesday their hard work had been ruined overnight.

Walls had been graffitied, studio booths damaged and artwork urinated on, smashed and stolen, with the culprits then posting videos of the attack online.

Ms Robertson said the break-in was “violating to our artistic practice and what we wanted to do for the community”.

Mr Godfrey-Cass had moved four years of his original art into the gallery, which was destroyed by the trespassers.

“Honestly, this has shattered my whole emotional figure and I don’t know how I’m gonna be able to recover from this mentally,” he said, adding he and Ms Robertson were “heartbroken”.

Ms Robertson said: “I couldn’t even make eye contact with it because you could see it had all been thrown around, moved, and, I hate to say it, urinated on.

“They had used a fire extinguisher on it and it was all damp.”

When the pair entered the building, they found the attackers had graffitied the building and left online handles.

When they searched for the tags, they found the criminals had posted videos of themselves destroying the gallery online, the artists said.

The videos have been shared with Northumbria Police, which said officers were investigating the burglary, which they believe took place between 20:00 BST on Friday and 11:30 on Tuesday.

Anyone with information about the break-in is asked to contact the force.

Mr Godfrey-Cass and Ms Robertson hope to continue with the gallery but said they need time to assess the damage.

They had intended to offer art classes for those in the area and wanted to engage widely with the community, but now they believe they may have to rely on the generosity of South Shields if they are to open.

“I think we are going to need some support,” Ms Robertson said, adding: “Whether it be donations of paint or people just having a better professional perspective on what it’s going to take to remove the amount of damage that’s happened.”

The Market Gallery plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for some of the repair work.

Mr Godfrey-Cass, who moved to South Shields from Los Angeles, said he had not lost his love for the community despite the destruction of his work.

“I’ve been getting so much support and kind words – I’m not going to give up.”