HANEEFAH ADAM

Sometimes, at its core, love is an act of endurance. It is the quiet labor of care, the unseen weight we bear for others, and the tenderness with which we hold both personal and collective burden. This body of work delves into the intersection of emotional weight and service and how we carry, lift, and sometimes feel the pressure of duty and expectation.

In previous works, I explored the concept of masking, the veil we wear to navigate the world, the tension between self-preservation and authenticity. This new exploration shifts outward, asking: What happens when we remove the mask? To carry weight is to acknowledge the profound ties that bind us to family, history, and community. It is an act of devotion, sometimes chosen, sometimes inherited, but always shaping.

As a mother, I am intimately familiar with the weight of care. The daily, often invisible labor of nurturing, protecting, and guiding is both a privilege and a demand. As a daughter, I have witnessed untold stories, silent sacrifices, and resilience passed down like heirlooms. In these sculptures, I reflect on the strain forged by years of giving. Yet within that strain, there is a dignified strength in those who carry more than they should, who bear love even when it feels heavy.

But some weights become heavy to bear. Society, culture, and family impose expectations, pressures to perform, succeed, and give endlessly. Some sculptures in this series embody portraits that potrays the emotions carried within, the strain and the exhaustion of those who have borne too much for too long. Others will explore the act of how love, in its truest form, allows for mutual support.

Through abstract forms and textured surfaces, these works aim to express both the physical and emotional dimensions of our journeys. The use of steel as a material embodies strength and endurance which are qualities deeply tied to love, care, and service. And much like the unseen labor of service, care is often concealed behind polished exteriors, just as the steel is coated in earthy hues. The interplay of positive and negative space within the sculptures mirrors the interdependence of love and service: what is held, what is given, and what remains unseen but deeply felt.

What do we carry? Who carries us? And how do we learn to place some of the weight down?

View the full series and artwork details here.