Uploaded May 2022 | Updated September 2026, 23 hours ago
Humaira Abid gathers the ordinary objects from everyday life and transforms them into something extraordinary. Her turned and carved wood sculptures and paintings — known for their exquisite detail — depict human relationships, societal repression, and the consequences of keeping basic truths from being discussed and shared. The beauty and seductive virtuosity of her work offset her political, ironic, provocative, and even scandalous objects and installations.
While much of her art’s subject matter is emotionally intense, Abid hopes to create conversation through it. She says, “I like to start conversations. I like people when they open up and share their stories because I believe when you share your story it encourages another person to share their story." (Real Change, 2017)
Together with Gage Academy of Art cofounder Gary Faigin, Abid joins us at Town Hall to discuss the stories and processes behind her work.
Humaira Abid was born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan. She 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. Her works have been exhibited in museums and galleries and documented in publications around the world and reviewed by local, national, and international news media. Abid is the recipient of numerous honors, most recently the 2019 Artist Trust Arts Innovator Award.
Her work has been published in books and other print media and she has been the recipient of prestigious awards and grants. She has lectured widely and participated in residencies and symposia around the world. Two documentary features focused on Abid and her work, produced by the KCTS9 branch of PBS and Seattle Channel, were both nominated for Northwest Emmy Awards. She is represented by Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle.
Painter, critic, and author Gary Faigin is cofounder and Artistic Director of Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, as well as the school’s Still Life Atelier instructor. Faigin also serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, where he teaches facial expressions to graduate animation students and works on a research team studying the human perception of stylized facial expressions. He has taught in art schools across the country including the National Academy of Design and the Parsons School of Design. In 2001, Faigin published his first book, The Artist’s Complete Guide to Facial Expression, which has since been translated into seven languages and reprinted sixteen times.
Presented by Town Hall Seattle and the Gage Academy of Art.
Humaira Abid gathers the ordinary objects from everyday life and transforms them into something extraordinary. Her turned and carved wood sculptures and paintings — known for their exquisite detail — depict human relationships, societal repression, and the consequences of keeping basic truths from being discussed and shared. The beauty and seductive virtuosity of her work offset her political, ironic, provocative, and even scandalous objects and installations.
While much of her art’s subject matter is emotionally intense, Abid hopes to create conversation through it. She says, “I like to start conversations. I like people when they open up and share their stories because I believe when you share your story it encourages another person to share their story." (Real Change, 2017)
Together with Gage Academy of Art cofounder Gary Faigin, Abid joins us at Town Hall to discuss the stories and processes behind her work.
Humaira Abid was born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan. She 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. Her works have been exhibited in museums and galleries and documented in publications around the world and reviewed by local, national, and international news media. Abid is the recipient of numerous honors, most recently the 2019 Artist Trust Arts Innovator Award.
Her work has been published in books and other print media and she has been the recipient of prestigious awards and grants. She has lectured widely and participated in residencies and symposia around the world. Two documentary features focused on Abid and her work, produced by the KCTS9 branch of PBS and Seattle Channel, were both nominated for Northwest Emmy Awards. She is represented by Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle.
Painter, critic, and author Gary Faigin is cofounder and Artistic Director of Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, as well as the school’s Still Life Atelier instructor. Faigin also serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, where he teaches facial expressions to graduate animation students and works on a research team studying the human perception of stylized facial expressions. He has taught in art schools across the country including the National Academy of Design and the Parsons School of Design. In 2001, Faigin published his first book, The Artist’s Complete Guide to Facial Expression, which has since been translated into seven languages and reprinted sixteen times.
Presented by Town Hall Seattle and the Gage Academy of Art.
