Letters from Home
Humaira Abid
Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center
Meticulously crafted wood envelopes highlight the meaningful connection of a letter.
In a relentlessly digital time, a physical letter provides a tangible connection between people. It not only has weight, it has intimacy: the texture of the paper, the familiar strokes of a pen, maybe even a smudge, a stain, or a scent.
Humaira Abid’s Letters from Home series was inspired by a letter she found from her late brother years after his death. With these works, she highlights how families, friends, and loved ones remain connected through written correspondence even when distance or circumstance keep them apart. For this site-specific installation, Abid facilitated workshops with youth in detention, inviting them to write letters to people who mattered most in their lives, and she incorporated poems developed through the Pongo Teen Writing program. Each letter or poem was then paired with one of Abid’s hand-carved envelopes—delicately shaped to mirror the form of paper envelopes. Displayed with both the handwritten originals and transcriptions, the work offers intimate glimpses into relationships sustained across barriers.
About the Artist
Born, raised, and educated in Pakistan, Abid has been based in the Seattle area since 2008. Her sculptures transform ordinary images from everyday life into extraordinary objects through exquisitely detailed woodcarving and miniature paintings, often exploring taboos, gender, and injustices affecting women. One of few leading female sculptors in her field, she has exhibited her work in Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Mauritius, Nepal, Kenya, Dubai, Bolivia, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Other works in the King County Public Art Collection include Tempting Eyes.
About the Location
Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center
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