Sayan Chanda: How Many Fires, How Many Suns, How Many Dawns?, 2026, Installation View, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-On-Sea. Photography Rob Harris.
Sayan Chanda: How Many Fires, How Many Suns, How Many Dawns?, 2026, Installation View, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-On-Sea. Photography Rob Harris.
Sayan Chanda: How Many Fires, How Many Suns, How Many Dawns?, 2026, Installation View, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-On-Sea. Photography Rob Harris.
Sayan Chanda: How Many Fires, How Many Suns, How Many Dawns?, 2026, Installation View, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-On-Sea. Photography Rob Harris.
Sayan Chanda: How Many Fires, How Many Suns, How Many Dawns?, 2026, Installation View, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-On-Sea. Photography Rob Harris.
Sayan Chanda: How Many Fires, How Many Suns, How Many Dawns?, 2026, Installation View, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-On-Sea. Photography Rob Harris.
Sayan Chanda: How Many Fires, How Many Suns, How Many Dawns?, 2026, Installation View, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-On-Sea. Photography Rob Harris.
Kolkata-born artist Sayan Chanda re-envisions devotional objects, folk gods and mythic stories as hybrid forms shaped by identity and critical approaches to colonial histories. Working intuitively with fibre and clay, he uses processes such as weaving, stitching, quilting, dyeing and hand-building to create spaces where tales, figures and practices can be reimagined, rather than belonging to a single time, place or belief system.
How Many Fires, How Many Suns, How Many Dawns? is a major new commission that continues Chanda’s interest in female and lesser-known deities. These figures, whose presence has endured through communal rituals, often carried out in the home, have often been overlooked or altered through patriarchal retellings.
At the heart of the exhibition is the forest goddess Bonbibi, of the mangrove delta at the coastal border of India and Bangladesh known as the Sundurbans. Traditionally worshipped by both Muslim and Hindu communities as a protector, here Bonbibi does not belong to one faith or tradition. She appears as an expansive woven form, assembled from vintage Kantha quilts hand-stitched by women in their homes across the region and gathered by Chanda, the fabrics show signs of wear and use. For Chanda, Kantha carries traces of labour and survival, grounding Bonbibi in domestic gestures of care.
Around Bonbibi are woven textile figures that act as guardians and warnings, alongside a still body of water at the centre of the space offering glimpsed moments of mirrored reflection. Ceramic animals representing the fauna of the Sundarbans are shaped by hand and placed throughout the space, alongside sculptural forms that echo mangrove roots. Fired with a reflective metallic glaze, these figures take on an uncertain character, with some appearing partly human, suggesting connections between people, animals and the natural world.
The exhibition’s title comes from the Rig Veda, an ancient Sanskrit text that forms part of the oldest Hindu scriptures. It is commonly translated as: “How many fires are there, how many suns, how many dawns, how many waters? I address you, O ancestors, not in rivalry; I ask you, sages, in order to know the truth.” The invocation asks how many forms can exist at once. Through this work, Chanda invites visitors into a space that moves beyond fixed belief systems, where deities and histories exist in forms that remain open to change.
All works are courtesy of the artist and Jhaveri Contemporary.
Chanda (b. 1989, Kolkata; lives and works in London) received his bachelor’s degree in textile design from the National Institute of Design, India, in 2013 and an MFA from the University of Arts, London, in 2021. His work has been exhibited widely in shows internationally, including: The 6th Kochi Muziris Biennale, Kochi (2025, forthcoming); Cample Line, Scotland (2025); Green Art Gallery, Dubai (2024); British Textile Biennial (2023); Jhaveri Contemporary, Mumbai (2022); Commonage Projects, London (2022); Saatchi Gallery, London (2021); South London Gallery, London (2021) and Nature Morte, New Delhi (2021). He has been selected for The Artsy Vanguard 2026.
Situated on a private beach with uninterrupted views of the English Channel, this immaculately restored four-star hotel is just a 10-minute drive from De La Warr Pavilion. Receive 10% discount on rooms* from Sunday to Thursday (excluding Fridays and Saturdays) using the promo code DLWP. BOOK NOW.
*Offer available until 31 March 2026 (blackout dates apply). Free cancellation up to 24 hours before arrival. Paid partnership with The Relais Cooden Beach Hotel & Spa.
Direct trains go from London Victoria, Brighton and Ashford to Bexhill.
There are also trains from London Charing Cross, changing at St. Leonards Warrior Square and from London Bridge or Charing Cross going to Battle. Battle is only a short taxi journey away (15 mins approx).
Visit www.nationalrail.co.uk for up-to-date train travel information.
By Car If driving from the London area:
Take the M25, then A21 to Hastings. Turn off at John‘s Cross and follow the signs to Bexhill.
OR
Take the A22 to Eastbourne, go across the Bishop roundabout to the A271 and follow the signs to Bexhill and the seafront. The De La Warr Pavilion is on the Marina.
From the Brighton area:
Follow the A27 out of Brighton until you arrive in Bexhill On Sea.
Parking Please be aware the Rother District car park outside the De La Warr Pavilion operates paid parking until 10pm. After this time parking is free. There is also limited free car parking along the seafront.
Within the limits of this Grade One listed building, the De La Warr Pavilion strives to be fully accessible with a range of facilities to support your visit.
Assistance Dogs are permitted into the building.
Please contact the Box Office on 01424 229 111 to arrange a visit.
Facilities for disabled visitors
Ramped access at the front of the building
A low counter at the Box Office and Information Desk
Disabled toilets on two floors
A lift to all floors
Accessible galleries on both floors
An accessible Café
Spaces for wheelchairs in the auditorium for seated events
Ramped access in the auditorium for events during the day
Ramped access into the Studio
Two travel wheelchairs are available for use at the De La Warr Pavilion. To reserve, please call our box office and information desk on (01424) 229111 or ask a member of staff on arrival. The chairs are provided on a first come, first served basis and are intended for use inside the Pavilion. Please contact us for more information.
Facilities for blind or visually-impaired
Large print season brochures
Facilities for the hard-of-hearing
An T-Switch induction loop in some areas of the auditorium (please indicate when booking as this facility is not available on the balcony)
British Sign Language interpretation tours of the building and exhibitions are available on request.
Sensory Bags
Sensory bags will be available from the Ground floor or First floor gallery and contain supportive items for people with neurodivergence, anxiety or sensory sensitives. Sensory bags include:
One set of ear defenders
A selection of fidget toys
One soft foam stress ball
A set of 6 coloured paddles
One light up magnifying glass. You can sign one out and bring it back before you leave.
Sensory bags are funded by UK Government.
