Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Pakistani-American brings politics to NY's Met rooftop

A Pakistani-American sculptor brings dark times, science fiction and a desire to provoke to New York's famed Metropolitan Museum of Art for this year's rooftop installation overlooking the Manhattan skyline.

Huma Bhabha's We Come in Peace depicts a towering 12-foot (3.6-meter), five-headed figure weighing 1.5 tons and an 18-foot long prostrate figure covered in a trash bag and called Benaam, or "without name" in Urdu.


The installation, which opened on Tuesday (17), is the sixth annual commission at the illustrious US museum's roof garden, a popular summer spot that draws nearly half a million visitors every year.

Karachi-born Bhabha, who lives in New York state's Hudson Valley, is the first Pakistani American selected for the honor. Imran Qureshi, based in Pakistan, was the first Pakistani artist to present work for the commission, in 2013.

Bold, dramatic and thought-provoking, the weather-proof figures cast in bronze have political undertones, reflect social concerns and reference ancient African and Indian sculpture, according to the Met.

"It's what is brewing in your head," Bhabha said, insisting she wants visitors to make their own interpretations.

"I don't want to necessarily say it's this or that because that closes the conversation, but there are lots of different scenarios that one can come up with."

Nor does she join the chorus in Democrat-heavy New York that focuses blame on US President Donald Trump for what many in the city see as the country's ills.

"It goes beyond Trump," she said. "Yes, he has made everything very vulgar and very in your face. But I think there are problems that have been existing much before he took over," she said. "I think we're in very dark times."

- 'Numerous levels of meaning' -

The work was at least partly inspired by 1951 science-fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still in which an alien arrives on our planet telling humans they must live peacefully or face destruction.

"Huma's work felt right for this particular moment," explained Shanay Jhaveri, assistant curator of South Asian art.

"There are numerous levels of meaning embedded in them and I think we just wanted people to step back and to be provoked a little bit," he said in an interview.

"There is politics in it. What is happening under that garbage bag? What is the form?" Jhaveri said.

He urged viewers to "think through various kinds of concerns that they are seeing around them in these times of anxiety and paranoia and danger and collapse."

Bhabha specializes in figurative sculpture and has addressed themes such as colonialism, war and displacement in her work.

Her work has been exhibited at New York's MoMA PS1, as well as the Venice Biennale and the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea, among others.

The installation is scheduled to remain open until October 28, weather permitting.

More For You

Certain Blacks festival

Ensemble Festival 2025 returns to Royal Docks with bold new outdoor shows

Roswitha Chesher

Certain Blacks marks 10 years with free outdoor festival at Royal Docks

Quick highlights:

  • Ensemble Festival 2025 to be held on 26–27 July at Royal Victoria Docks, London.
  • Free outdoor event featuring circus, dance, street art and physical theatre.
  • Highlights include new works by Sadiq Ali, Vidya Thirunarayan and Miss High Leg Kick.
  • This year marks the 10th anniversary of organisers Certain Blacks.

This summer, London’s historic Royal Victoria Docks will transform into a hub of vibrant outdoor performance as Ensemble Festival 2025 returns on 26 and 27 July. Presented by arts organisation Certain Blacks, the free weekend event features an interesting line-up of new circus, dance and street theatre works, while also celebrating a decade of championing diverse and underrepresented artists.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jonas Brothers

Jonas Brothers are among the first to use TikTok’s new bulletin board tool

Getty Images

Jonas Brothers among first to test TikTok bulletin boards in new messaging feature

Quick highlights:

  • TikTok is testing a new one-way messaging feature called bulletin boards.
  • Jonas Brothers, People magazine, and Paris Saint-Germain among early testers.
  • The feature mimics Instagram’s broadcast channels but may expand further.
  • Only creators can post; followers can react with emojis but not comment.

TikTok is trialling a new feature called bulletin boards, allowing select creators and brands to send direct broadcast-style messages to their followers, similar to Instagram’s broadcast channels. The Jonas Brothers, football club Paris Saint-Germain, and People magazine are among the first to test the tool, which shows TikTok’s growing focus on creator-fan intimacy beyond its traditional feed.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Divides Critics, But Johansson Shines

Scarlett Johansson wins praise in Jurassic World Rebirth as reviews split over story and mutant dinosaurs

Instagram/jurassicworld

‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ review roundup: Scarlett Johansson steals the show but critics call it “the worst Jurassic yet”

Quick highlights:

  • Jurassic World Rebirth, starring Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey, releases on 4 July.
  • Twitter reactions praise the cast and visuals but criticise the film’s story and lack of emotional depth.
  • Rotten Tomatoes score stands at 54% from 95 reviews; Metacritic rates it 53.
  • Some fans applaud the Spielberg-style thrills, others feel it strays too far with mutant dinosaurs.

Jurassic World Rebirth, the latest addition to the iconic dinosaur saga, has sparked intense debate online ahead of its 4 July release. With Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey leading the cast, early Twitter reviews show a split audience, some impressed by the action and spectacle, others disappointed by the story’s direction and use of genetically altered dinosaurs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harry Styles

Mystery woman kissing Harry Styles at Glastonbury revealed as Ella Kenny

Getty Images

Who is Ella Kenny, the mystery woman seen kissing Harry Styles at Glastonbury 2025?

Quick highlights:

• Harry Styles was seen kissing a woman at Glastonbury 2025 in a viral video

Keep ReadingShow less
 Squid Game season 3

Critics praise Squid Game season 3 for its performances and bleak storytelling

Netflix

'Squid Game' season 3 finale sparks backlash as fans call ending rushed and disappointing

Quick highlights:

  • Squid Game season 3 finale premiered on Netflix on 27 June, concluding the global hit series.
  • Fans on X criticised the ending, calling it rushed, unsatisfying, and emotionally hollow.
  • Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes drops to 51%, while critics maintain a solid 81% rating.
  • Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk described the final season as “darker and more hopeless”.

Netflix’s Squid Game may have wrapped up with its third and final season, but many fans are far from satisfied. While critics have praised the final episodes for their intensity and message, a large portion of the audience has taken to social media to criticise what they call a “rushed and meaningless” ending. The divide has become even clearer with the show’s Rotten Tomatoes audience score falling to 51%.

Keep ReadingShow less