Sanctuary III/Load-Bearing

Sharl G. Smith

June 26, 2026 - November 29, 2026

Now on display in the Artist Garden at Queen’s Square, Sharl G. Smith’s Sanctuary III/Load-Bearing considers what holds us, what carries weight, and what remains unseen within systems of care. Known for her intricate beadwork and recent expansion into large-scale architectural sculpture, Smith brings industrial steel beads, airline cable, and feminist inquiry into close relation. 

Drawing from her background in architecture, her lived experience with caregiving, and the historical devaluation of feminized labour, Smith uses the idea of “load-bearing” to ask where responsibility travels when formal structures under-support care. In this work, visible beads and nearly invisible cable echo the hidden networks of care, often sustained by women, that prevent collapse. 

With its powder-coated red and mirror-polished steel spheres, Sanctuary III/Load-Bearing shifts between spectacle and intimacy, strength, and tenderness. The sculpture asks us to look again at the labour that supports everyday life, and to consider who holds us, and who bears the weight. 

In conjunction with the installation at Queen’s Square, Smith’s prototypes are on display at Cambridge Public Library, Clemens Mill.

Accessibility
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COST: Free

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