Huma Bhabha
A fly appeared, and disappeared
18 November 2023—28 January 2024
MO.CO., Montpellier, France
A fly appeared, and disappeared is Huma Bhabha’s first monographic exhibition in a French institution. The artist was born in 1962 in Karachi, Pakistan, and studied in the United States, first at the Rhode Island School of Design, then at Columbia University. Now based in Poughkeepsie, New York, Huma Bhabha brings together different eras, materials, and iconic forms to shape her own community and create works that bring forth anthropomorphic and hybrid presences by constantly adding, layering, and cutting materials.
The figure is ubiquitous in her work, always suggesting an ambiguous otherness, whether distant or near, ancient or unborn. This exceptional artist draws on an infinite repertoire of references, borrowing from both the academic world and popular culture, from ancient statuary to science fiction films, insisting on a universalism of forms. Some fifty works will be displayed at MO.CO.: cork and polystyrene sculptures, bronzes, drawings, engravings, ink on C-prints, and ceramics form a welcoming horde, guiding us through the artist’s own syncretism.
Exhibition developed in partnership with the Belgian museum M Leuven.