Exhibition
Sagarika Sundaram: Reservoir
Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
Free Entry
Free Entry
About the exhibition
Discover the distinctive work of Sagarika Sundaram as she explores the sculptural possibilities of wool and felt in monumental, immersive and colourful ways.
Reservoir brings together an entirely new body of work by Sundaram, made especially for the exhibition. At its centre, Blue Mountain 2026 is a monumental sculpture stretching almost seven metres in length. Its expansive, undulating forms create cave-like spaces that you can move around and almost within.
Alongside it, Dancer 2026, extending from floor to ceiling, spirals in a form that is at once shell-like and animated, its sweeping movement giving physical expression to the energy suggested by its title.
A further sculpture reconstructs the process of rope-making, investigating how repetition, accumulation and twisting give one of humanity’s oldest functional materials new sculptural presence. Here, rope occupies a space between line, labour, utility and sculpture, extending its long history of use into a language of form. These works, and others, mark a significant moment in Sundaram’s practice following an extended period of research into material, colour and process.
Transformation lies at the heart of Sundaram’s practice. Every sculpture is built through the repeated dyeing, layering and compression of wool before being opened to uncover the colours, spaces and forms concealed within. Nothing is added; the hidden interiors have always been present, waiting to be revealed. Incision becomes an act of excavation, opening seemingly complete forms into complex spatial realms.
Through material, colour, scale and bodily encounter, Sundaram demonstrates how one of humanity’s oldest materials can become a compelling language for contemporary sculpture.
About Sagarika Sundaram
Born in Kolkata, India, in 1986, Sagarika Sundaram lives and works in New York. She studied at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, before completing an MFA at Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York. All the works in Reservoir have been produced in Kutch, north-west India, where she has developed her research into felt and dyeing techniques.
Recent solo exhibitions include Alison Jacques, London and Nature Morte, Delhi (both 2025), and Palo Gallery, New York (2023). In 2025, Sundaram presented Released Form (2024) at Art Basel Unlimited with Alison Jacques and Nature Morte. Her work has also been included in group exhibitions at the Bronx Museum, New York (2024), and the Al Held Foundation and River Valley Arts Collective, Boiceville, New York (2023).
Access information
Step-free access
Our accessible entrance is on Cookridge Street, with a lift (doors 100cm wide) bringing you onto the ground floor of the building. There…
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Step-free access
Our accessible entrance is on Cookridge Street, with a lift (doors 100cm wide) bringing you onto the ground floor of the building.
There is an internal passenger lift (doors 72cm wide) to all floors of the building.
Braille & large print
Braille and large print versions of descriptive text about our exhibitions are available at the welcome desk.
Audio guide
We produce audio guides with descriptions of the artworks in our exhibitions. Due to some exhibitions having many artworks, we can’t guarantee that…
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Audio guide
We produce audio guides with descriptions of the artworks in our exhibitions. Due to some exhibitions having many artworks, we can’t guarantee that there will be audio descriptions for all the works on display.
You can pick up a handheld audio player and headphones outside the sculpture galleries, or use your own device by scanning the QR codes next to the artworks.
Induction loops
There are induction loops at the welcome desk on the ground floor, library reception and in the seminar room. There is a portable…
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Induction loops
There are induction loops at the welcome desk on the ground floor, library reception and in the seminar room.
There is a portable induction loop available for visitors to use in the galleries (please ask at the welcome desk).
Seating
Seating is always available in our shop and welcome area. You can also pick up a portable seat here to take with you…
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Seating
Seating is always available in our shop and welcome area. You can also pick up a portable seat here to take with you in the galleries.
While we try to always include seating in our exhibition spaces, due to the changing nature of our exhibitions we cannot always guarantee this.
Quiet space
There is a quiet space available in a room off from The Studio on the second floor of the building. Please ask a…
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Quiet space
There is a quiet space available in a room off from The Studio on the second floor of the building. Please ask a member of staff if you would like to use this space at any time during your visit.
Quiet times to visit
If you’d prefer a quieter, more relaxed visit, then we recommend visiting on a Tuesday between 10:00 and 12:00. Occasionally we have school…
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Quiet times to visit
If you’d prefer a quieter, more relaxed visit, then we recommend visiting on a Tuesday between 10:00 and 12:00.
Occasionally we have school groups booked to visit then, so feel free to contact us beforehand to check if that is the case when you are planning to visit.
T: 01132 467 467
E: institute@henry-moore.org
Toilets
Outside the seminar room on the basement level we have three gender-neutral superloos (self-contained cubicles with a toilet and sink). Additionally, there is…
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Toilets
Outside the seminar room on the basement level we have three gender-neutral superloos (self-contained cubicles with a toilet and sink).
Additionally, there is one gender-neutral, accessible superloo, and one superloo with baby changing facilities.
The closest Changing Places toilet is located in Leeds City Museum, which is approximately a 350m walk from us over a mostly flat and pedestrianised route, with one pelican crossing. See here for Leeds City Museum opening times and contact details.
Guide dogs
Guide dogs, hearing dogs and other badged assistance dogs are welcome in our galleries and at our events. There is a small grassy…
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Guide dogs
Guide dogs, hearing dogs and other badged assistance dogs are welcome in our galleries and at our events.
There is a small grassy area just outside the Institute, suitable for spending. The nearest larger green space is Park Square.
A water bowl for dogs is available, please ask a member of staff at the welcome desk who will fetch it for you.
If you would like to talk to us about any access concerns before your visit, you can email us at institute@henry-moore.org, or call us on 01132 467 467.
Getting here
Henry Moore Institute
74 The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 3AH
United Kingdom
T: 01132 467 467
E: institute@henry-moore.org
