Hayv Kahraman is a multidisciplinary artist whose work examines identity, memory, gender, and exile. Drawing from her personal history, her work investigates agency and body politics in relation to the feminized body across paintings and sculptures, combining influences from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Rather than serve as self-portraits, Kahraman’s figures represent manifestations of the collective experiences of women of colour in the wake of colonization. The depictions of these bodies deconstruct European ideals by challenging preconceptions through complex conceptual and narrative techniques. In these new works the figures are painted on linen that is treated using a marbling technique. The work is marked by an ambiguity that comfortably references traditional and modern patterns highlighting an interdependence among the figures. By using feminized figures to link the past and present, the artist gives voice to a collective consciousness that is expressed through the forms and narratives she employs. The result is a reflection on the body as both object and subject, exploring commodification, survival, confrontation, and healing.

Commissioned by Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), co-produced by Hayv Kahraman and HKW, 2023.

Works in the exhibition: Untitled (2023), oil and acrylic on linen, 292.1 x 139.7 cm; Untitled (2023), oil and acrylic on linen, 292.1 x 139.7 cm; Untitled (2023), oil and acrylic on linen, 127 x 127 cm; Untitled (2023), oil and acrylic on linen, 127 x 182.9 cm; Untitled (2023), oil and acrylic on linen, 127 x 182.9 cm; Untitled (2023), oil and acrylic on linen, 243.8 x 127 cm; Untitled (2023), oil and acrylic on linen, 243.8 x 127 cm; Untitled (2023), oil and acrylic on linen, 243.8 x 127 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Pilar Corrias, London; Jack Shainman Gallery, New York; and Vielmetter Los Angeles