Searching for Home Claimed

In Humaira Abid’s exquisitely haunting exhibition Searching for Home, the artist’s sculptural installations invoke the troubling specter of the global refugee crisis and its trails of ruined lives. Inspired by real accounts of displaced people—all personally researched and documented by the artist—the exhibition hints at untold tragedies surrounding the collateral victims of persecution, political conflicts, ethnic cleansing, and natural disasters, a disproportionate number of whom are women and girls. Through her chosen medium of wood, Abid unleashes the innate properties of the material to suggest the ineffable weight and gravity of this continuing humanitarian crisis. Abid’s suite of installations offers viewers the unique experience of immersing themselves in these poignant, precarious contexts-if only momentarily-within the safety of the gallery walls. ABOUT THE ARTIST Born and raised in Pakistan, Humaira Abid immigrated to the United States in 2008 and now lives and works in Seattle, WA. Abid received her BFA in sculpture and miniature painting from the National College of Arts, Lahore, in 2000. Known for their virtuosity and exquisite detail, Abid’s carved and painted works have been exhibited internationally in prestigious museums and galleries and documented in books, catalogues, and periodicals around the world. Her work has been widely reviewed by local, national, and international news media. Abid is the recipient of numerous residencies and honors, most recently the Artist Trust Arts Innovator Award. Her artistic work has been the subject of documentaries produced for PBS and the Bellevue Arts Museum.