Hayv Kahraman: The Foreign in Us

“The ambiguity that permeates Kahraman’s work goes far beyond its mix of the gorgeous and grotesque. Are these female prisoners or nest-builders, nurtured or force-fed?” —Skye Sherwin, the Guardian

The work of Iraqi Kurdish, Los Angeles–based artist Hayv Kahraman (born 1981) explores topics of memory and dynamics of nonfixity that are part of the diasporic experience. Encompassing painting, drawing, performance and sculpture, Kahraman poignantly foregrounds the body as object and subject to address gendered racism, migrant consciousness and marginal spaces. The Foreign in Us includes new and recent paintings and drawings by Kahraman, informed by the artist’s cultural heritage and her experience as a refugee, while probing her research-driven practice. Through her trenchant imagery, unconventional use of materials and investigation into the decolonization of the body and nature, Kahraman challenges fear and apprehension of otherness, advocating instead for compassion and acceptance. This catalog features original writing by Kahraman describing the evolution of her art over the past five years, plus an essay by Miriam Ticktin, professor of anthropology at the CUNY Graduate Center, that further contextualizes Kahraman’s work.