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[HUMAIRA ABID] I
feel what is personal is also universal.
So when you go through certain things,
it change your perspective and you have two choices:
either to sit and let that happen
or to stand up and do something about it.
I decide to stand up and I decide to talk
about these issues.
My current exhibit at Bellevue Art Museum, "Searching
for a Home," started in my mind many years ago.
I grew up hearing about stories of migration.
My parents moved from India to Pakistan.
So I saw a lot of refugees
and what they were going through.
And I moved to U.S.
about ten years ago, although it was out of choice.
But there were many things that I could relate to.
Like when I moved here after a few years,
I started feeling like this was my home.
But every time I went back to Pakistan to visit my family,
people here would say, "Oh, you are going back home."
So for them,
my home was always where I was born in Pakistan.
And this started a dialog in my mind.
Where is home? The idea of home.
That kind of triggers this
concept which came together in the form of this exhibition.
Growing up in Pakistan, I was lucky.
I grew up in a family
which was comparatively more open minded,
but still I felt there were a lot of issues
which were part of the society.
Everything that women wanted to do, often
they had to get permission
from the male member of the house.
So in Pakistan, when kids are good in studies,
they are expected to be either doctors or engineers.
My family wanted me to become a doctor,
and this was not something which came out of my heart
and art was something in which
I did not have any boundaries.
That was something I wanted to pursue.
Initially, my family did not support me.
They were against me taking it as a profession.
So I went to art school.
I got admission in a very prestigious college
and I got a scholarship all four years.
I ended up graduating with honors.
And then the time came
when pretty quickly my family came around.
Particularly,
remember, one day my father said
in front of the whole family
that he is very proud of me and it was the right decision.
It's one of the best moments in my life.
My process involves, most of the time,
thinking about an idea of when I have a concept.
I call myself conceptual artist,
so I work around the ideas and concepts that I have.
Once I have an idea, if my reference that I need
is an everyday object, I go find that object.
I go to second-hand shops a lot.
When I see a form or an object that I feel
will complement my idea, I will buy it.
Second-hand shops are a perfect place
to look for different variety and unique shapes.
Some of the shoes in the installation
and various museum I picked here.
I look for these designs and textures.
A lot of my work is about everyday and common objects.
I want to use a form which is used.
When I bring it to my studio, I often stage it.
I start thinking about an appropriate medium,
appropriate word and the technique.
How am I going to do it?
And then I start working on it.
♪♪
I felt wood was a medium
which was clearly male dominated medium.
There was a lack of women's voice in it.
And I wanted to bring a woman's voice and that medium.
♪♪
So I moved to U.S.
about ten years ago,
and then I went through multiple miscarriages.
And when I was going through miscarriages, I did not know
what to do about it, because whenever
I tried to talk to someone or even my friends,
they were closed about it.
They did not want to share it openly.
I felt the need to bring it through my work
and I did a whole series, my road show.
There were women who came to the show and started crying.
They became very emotional.
When even I feel that
if I'm able to encourage someone to open up,
realize that as an issue, or even
just start a discussion, I'm successful.
And that's exactly what I want to do with my life.
This is my goal.
This is my passion.
And this is what I want to do.
I think all the challenges
that I have faced in my life have made me a better person.
And if I get a choice to go back in time
and do it all over again,
I will do it all over again the same way.