""The Shape of Life" reflects on the many forces that shape our lives—family, education, migration, responsibility, time, and the quiet work of becoming ourselves.

The installation is built around the form of a clothing hanger, an everyday domestic object that becomes a metaphor for the structures and expectations that often shape women's lives.

Suspended in careful balance, familiar objects become metaphors for the competing responsibilities, aspirations, memories, and relationships that shape the course of a life.

The work draws from the lives of my two nieces. One pursues physics while navigating migration, time, and the search for belonging. The other studies art while balancing creativity with the emotional work of caring for others. A crocheted toy appears twice—once in the painting and again carved from wood. Originally made by one of my nieces, it becomes a quiet bridge between memory, care, and the lives we continue to shape.

Although rooted in family, the work extends beyond portraiture. It reflects the many ways women balance ambition with responsibility, knowledge with care, personal dreams with the needs of others, and the quiet work of carrying life forward."

-Humaira Abid