A brush with… Huma Bhabha

Ben Luke talks to Huma Bhabha about her influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Bhabha was born in 1962 in Karachi, Pakistan, and has been based in the US since 1981—she now lives in Poughkeepsie, New York state. She has achieved a profoundly individual figurative sculptural language, exploring the rich history of her medium while also looking to the future. Informed by ancient monuments, Modernist sculpture and an array of other artforms, Huma employs various sculptural traditions—from modelling with clay, to carving, to found-object assemblage—to create figures that are monumental yet vulnerable, otherworldly yet rooted in the vicissitudes of contemporary geopolitics. Alongside her sculptures, Huma has made similarly powerful work in two-dimensions, particularly in combinations of drawing and collage. She reflects on the early and ongoing impact of Rembrandt on her work, her fascination with Pablo Picasso and Robert Smithson, the influence of the writing of Amy Goodman and Roberto Bolaño and how she has responded to the films of Jean-Luc Godard and Jean Negulesco. She also gives insight into her life in the studio and answers our usual questions, including: what is art for?

Huma Bhabha—Encounters: Giacometti, Barbican, London, until 10 Aug; Huma Bhabha: Distant Star, 13 June-26 July.

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