Huma Bhabha: They Live

A comprehensive overview of more than two decades of Huma Bhabha’s prolific and multidisciplinary output in sculpture, drawing, and photography

Huma Bhabha (b. 1962 in Karachi) is known for sculptures depicting the human figure fashioned from materials ranging from clay, brick, and wood to Styrofoam, bronze, found objects, and construction materials. Such works reveal her myriad influences, including horror films, science fiction, ancient artifacts, religious reliquaries, and Neo-Expressionism. This handsome volume surveys over two decades of Bhabha’s innovative sculptures, as well as her lesser-known but essential work in drawing, photography, and printmaking, all while considering her singular engagement with the human figure. Illustrated essays investigate the artist’s prolific and multidisciplinary output, her historical and cultural reference points, and her frequent themes, such as war, colonialism, displacement, and the memory of home—in the artist’s words, these are “eternal concerns” found across all cultures. A conversation between Bhabha and American artist Sterling Ruby offers an intimate point of entry into Bhabha’s perspectives and artistic practice.

Published in association with the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

Exhibition Schedule:
Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
(03/23/19–05/27/19)