Henry Moore Institute

Henry Moore Institute We're all about sculpture, with exhibitions, events, research library, archive and shop, in the centre of Leeds.

Our changing programme of historical, modern and contemporary exhibitions and events, encourage thinking about what sculpture is, how it is made and the artists who make it. As part of the Henry Moore Foundation, we are a hub for sculpture, connecting a global network of artists and scholars, continuing research into the art form and ensuring that sculpture is accessible and celebrated by a wide audience.

Explore our exhibition Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age with curator Sean Ketteringham on Thursda...
29/05/2026

Explore our exhibition Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age with curator Sean Ketteringham on Thursday 18 June 2026 at 6pm.

Tickets are free, but limited, so booking is essential. Get yours via at https://henry-moore.org/whats-on/curators-tour-of-phantasmagoria-folkloric-sculpture-for-the-digital-age

Images:
!) Installation view of Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age showing Isaac Lythgoe, Why can’t we remember the future? 2023 and Joey Holder, The Woosphere 2025
2) Nina Davies, Symbol (light blue hoodie with black text) 2026
3) Installation view of Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age showing Jürgen Baumann, Saugott oder die lernäische Schlange [Piggod or the Lernaean Serpent] 2022 and Isaac Lythgoe, When everything is new the pleasures are skin deep 2023
4) Installation view of Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age showing Isaac Lythgoe, When everything is new the pleasures are skin deep 2023; Rustan Söderling, Virus Meadow 2022; Juergen Baumann, Emergency Exit V 2022 and Joe Moss' Time Compression series 2024
5) Steph Linn and Philip Speakman, After the Vale 2026
Photos: Rob Harris

In the final room of our exhibition Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age, you can play Danielle Brath...
27/05/2026

In the final room of our exhibition Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age, you can play Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley's video game PIRATING BLACKNESS/BLACKTRANSSEA 2021.

Go through the curtain and get on board the boat, from which you can control the game screen. You'll confront difficult questions and explore your personal relationship with the history of slavery and colonisation, as the game intertwines lived experience with the fictional gamespace.

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley is an artist and archivist whose video games, performances and installations use the audience themselves as the main
medium. Her work often adopts lo-fi 3D graphics reminiscent of the 1990s, when computer games, PCs and the internet became widespread.

Find out more via the link in our bio and visit the exhibition Tuesday – Sunday, 10am–5pm, until 30 August 2026, free entry.

Images:
Visitors playing Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, BLACKNESS/BLACKTRANSSEA 2021 in Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age at Henry Moore Institute. Courtesy the artist and Public Gallery, London. Photos: Rob Harris and Minyung Im

Visiting the Institute with younger visitors this half term? Pick up an Explorer Basket just outside the Sculpture Galle...
26/05/2026

Visiting the Institute with younger visitors this half term?

Pick up an Explorer Basket just outside the Sculpture Galleries to find this game sheet and join the quest! Follow the instructions as you creatively travel through the galleries to discover the stories of the exhibition, unlock the secrets of the sculptures and complete your quest.

And don't forget to join us on Thursday 28 May 2026, between 10:30am and 3:30pm for our free drop-in workshop to make your own Pro-TECH-tion Charms. Find full details via the link in our bio.

A reminder that we're closed on bank holidays, so enjoy the sunshine today and we look forward to welcoming you back int...
25/05/2026

A reminder that we're closed on bank holidays, so enjoy the sunshine today and we look forward to welcoming you back into our air conditioned galleries when we reopen tomorrow at 10am.

We’re open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am–5pm, free entry.

Take a deep dive into the themes of our new exhibition Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age with this...
22/05/2026

Take a deep dive into the themes of our new exhibition Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age with this great selection of zines, in stock in our shop and online at https://shop.henry-moore.org/collections/zines

Wondering what 'Phantasmagoria' means? Let us explain:Phantasmagoria refers to a late eighteenth-century form of theatri...
21/05/2026

Wondering what 'Phantasmagoria' means?
Let us explain:

Phantasmagoria refers to a late eighteenth-century form of theatrical spectacle which used light projections to conjure apparitions, often blurring entertainment, occult ritual and illusion.

The term was coined by Paul Philidor, a magician, scientist and entertainer, who derived it from the Ancient Greek φάντασμα, phántasma, meaning ‘ghost’, and αγορά, agora, meaning ‘assembly, gathering’.

Later adopted by philosophers Karl Marx and Walter Benjamin, the word ‘phantasmagoria’ was used to describe the seductive illusions of commodity capitalism.

Today, phantasmagoria remains a useful term to describe the continuing power of digital technology to seduce us and conjure illusions.

Visit Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age to experience the work of ten artists who are similarly attuned to the enchantments of contemporary technology and the forms of belief it generates.

We’re open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am–5pm. Free entry.
Closed bank holiday Monday.

Images:
Installation views of Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age at Henry Moore Institute until 30 August 2026.
Including:
- Nina Davies, Image Syncers 2025
- Isaac Lythgoe, Why can’t we remember the future? 2023
- Joey Holder, The Woosphere 2025
- Jürgen Baumann, Saugott oder die lernäische Schlange [Piggod or the Lernaean Serpent] 2022
- Isaac Lythgoe, When everything is new the pleasures are skin deep 2023
- Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, PIRATING BLACKNESS/BLACK TRANSSEA.COM 2021. Courtesy the artist and Public Gallery, London
- Steph Linn and Philip Speakman, After the Vale 2026
Photos: Rob Harris

Looking for a fun, free creative activity for half term?Drop-in to the Institute next Thursday for our hands-on family w...
20/05/2026

Looking for a fun, free creative activity for half term?

Drop-in to the Institute next Thursday for our hands-on family workshop Pro-TECH-tion Charms, linked to our new exhibition Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age.

You’ll create your own modern folklore talismans using fragments of broken and obsolete digital hardware. Think circuit boards, wires and components – transformed into personal artefacts filled with meaning, memory and a touch of magic.

Guided by playful prompts, you’ll explore storytelling and make a talisman or charm… could it detect bots, ward off evil viruses or protect you from trolls? Children and grown-ups alike are encouraged to collaborate, experiment and leave with a unique object that tells a story.

In the spirit of sustainability and to add your own history and lore, you’re warmly invited to bring along small pieces of unwanted or obsolete technology from home (old cables, keyboards, phones, etc) to use in your creation.

Suitable for families and children aged 5+, drop in any time on Thursday 28 May 2026 between 10:30 and 15:30.

Find out more via the link in our bio or go straight to https://henry-moore.org/whats-on/pro-tech-tion-charms-creative-drop-in-workshop/

Our new library display - The Autobiography of a Nation: Celebrating 75 Years since the Festival of Britain through the...
19/05/2026

Our new library display - The Autobiography of a Nation: Celebrating 75 Years since the Festival of Britain through the Archive of Sculptors’ Papers - is open now, free entry.

Head up to the Research Library on the first floor of the Institute to discover photographs, sketchbooks and ephemera related to work made for the Festival of Britain as we consider the temporary nature of festivals and celebrate what archives can preserve.

Join us for an introduction and archive handling session on Wednesday 1 July 2026 at 6pm, free but booking essential. Find out more via the link in our bio

14/05/2026

Now open at Henry Moore Institute! Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age

Discover a new generation of artists exploring how digital technology is reshaping culture, storytelling and sculpture today.

Featuring artists:
Jürgen Baumann ()
Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley ()
Nina Davies ()
Joey Holder ()
Joe Moss ()
Most Dismal Swamp ()
Steph Linn () and Philip Speakman ()
Isaac Lythgoe ()
Rustan Söderling ()

Using sculpture, installation, video, performance and gaming, the artists twist traditional structures of storytelling through digital processes, from AI manipulation to 3D printing.

Their works reveal how folklore and shared narratives still exist inside digital and online spaces that we inhabit every day.

Curated by
Kindly supported by and

Also on display: Ebb & Flow: Bookworks by Yoko Terauchi from the Research Library

Both exhibitions are open at Henry Moore Institute until 30 August 2026. Free entry.

14/05/2026

Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age is open.

Visit to discover a new generation of artists exploring how digital technologies are reshaping what sculpture can be and how they can be used to tell stories about our past, present and future.

The exhibition includes sculpture, moving images, performance, video games and installation by Jürgen Baumann, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Nina Davies, Joey Holder, Joe Moss, Most Dismal Swamp, Steph Linn and Philip Speakman, Isaac Lythgoe and Rustan Söderling

Open until 30 August 2026, free entry. Find out more via the link in our bio.

Artists:
Curated by:


Kindly supported by and

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74 The Headrow
Leeds
LS13AH

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

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