Hayv Kahraman

Hayv Kahraman

b. 1981, Baghdad, Iraq
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Hayv Kahraman (b. 1981, Baghdad, Iraq) lives and works in Los Angeles.

Hayv Kahraman is a Kurdish-Iraqi painter whose work primarily deals with the body politics of migrant consciousness. Often blended with her personal history as a refugee to Europe and ultimately to the United States, she creates a unique visual language that reflects her nomadic background and challenges various notions of hegemonic control. 

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Watch Havy Kahraman talk through the body of work on view at Frieze London 2022 (12–16 October).

Selected Artworks

Hayv Kahraman, Eye plants in Blue, 2024
Hayv Kahraman
Eye plants in Blue
2024
Oil and acrylic on linen
203.2 x 203.2 cm
80 x 80 in
Hayv Kahraman, Plucked, 2024
Hayv Kahraman
Plucked
2024
Oil and acrylic on linen
132.1 x 215.9 cm
52 x 85 in
Hayv Kahraman, Eyebrow Field, 2024
Hayv Kahraman
Eyebrow Field
2024
Oil and acrylic on linen
127 x 127 cm
50 x 50 in
Hayv Kahraman, Generational Eyebrows, 2024
Hayv Kahraman
Generational Eyebrows
2024
Oil and acrylic on linen
279.4 x 127 cm
110 x 50 in
Hayv Kahraman, Nipple palm on black, 2024
Hayv Kahraman
Nipple palm on black
2024
Oil and acrylic on black paper
Unframed:
25.4 x 25.4 cm
10 x 10 in
Framed:
43.5 x 4 x 43.5 cm
17 1/8 x 1 5/8 x 17 1/8 in
Hayv Kahraman, Barbeen on black, 2024
Hayv Kahraman
Barbeen on black
2024
Oil and acrylic on black paper
Unframed:
25.4 x 25.4 cm
10 x 10 in
Framed:
43.5 x 4 x 43.5 cm
17 1/8 x 1 5/8 x 17 1/8 in
Hayv Kahraman, Spy plants on black, 2024
Hayv Kahraman
Spy plants on black
2024
Oil and acrylic on black paper
Unframed:
25.4 x 25.4 cm
10 x 10 in
Framed:
43.5 x 4 x 43.5 cm
17 1/8 x 1 5/8 x 17 1/8 in
Hayv Kahraman, Love eyes on black, 2024
Hayv Kahraman
Love eyes on black
2024
Oil and acrylic on black paper
Unframed:
25.4 x 25.4 cm
10 x 10 in
Framed:
43.5 x 4 x 43.5 cm
17 1/8 x 1 5/8 x 17 1/8 in
Hayv Kahraman, Lip Plants, 2023
Hayv Kahraman
Lip Plants
2023
Oil and acrylic on linen
203.2 x 292.1 cm
80 x 115 in
Hayv Kahraman, Look Me in the Eyes, No. 5, 2023
Hayv Kahraman
Look Me in the Eyes, No. 5
2023
Oil and acrylic on linen
94 x 94 cm
37 x 37 in
Hayv Kahraman, Look Me in the Eyes, No. 2, 2023
Hayv Kahraman
Look Me in the Eyes, No. 2
2023
Oil and acrylic on linen
94 x 94 cm
37 x 37 in
Hayv Kahraman, Look Me in the Eyes, No. 6, 2023
Hayv Kahraman
Look Me in the Eyes, No. 6
2023
Oil and acrylic on linen
94 x 94 cm
37 x 37 in
Hayv Kahraman, Torshi and eyes, 2022
Hayv Kahraman
Torshi and eyes
2022
Oil and torshi on linen
127 x 127 cm
50 x 50 in
Hayv Kahraman, Lizard brain, 2022
Hayv Kahraman
Lizard brain
2022
Ink on flax
Unframed:
25.4 x 29.2 cm
10 x 11 1/2 in
Framed:
32.2 x 35.9 cm
12 5/8 x 14 1/8 in
Hayv Kahraman, NeuroBust no.5, 2022
Hayv Kahraman
NeuroBust no.5
2022
Oil on linen
88.9 x 88.9 cm
35 x 35 in
Hayv Kahraman, Brain Frog, 2022
Hayv Kahraman
Brain Frog
2022
Oil on panel
203.2 x 203.2 cm
80 x 80 in
Hayv Kahraman, Entanglements with torshi no.2, 2022
Hayv Kahraman
Entanglements with torshi no.2
2022
Oil and torshi on linen
177.8 x 177.8 cm
70 x 70 in
Hayv Kahraman, Torshi vine, 2022
Hayv Kahraman
Torshi vine
2022
Oil and torshi on linen
177.8 x 177.8 cm
70 x 70 in
Hayv Kahraman, Draped by Antibody, 2021
Hayv Kahraman
Draped by Antibody
2021
Oil and dried pigment on panel
177.8 x 177.8 cm
70 x 70 in
Hayv Kahraman, Entanglements no.1, 2021
Hayv Kahraman
Entanglements no.1
2021
Oil on linen
177.8 x 177.8 cm
70 x 70 in
Hayv Kahraman, Hands on flax, 2021
Hayv Kahraman
Hands on flax
2021
Ink on flax
Unframed:
29.2 x 25.4 cm
11 1/2 x 10 in
Framed:
36.1 x 32 x 4 cm
14 1/4 x 12 5/8 x 1 5/8 in
Hayv Kahraman, AntiBody #1, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
AntiBody #1
2020
Oil and dried pigment on panel
177.8 x 127 cm
70 x 50 in
Hayv Kahraman, Lethal injection, 2021
Hayv Kahraman
Lethal injection
2021
Oil on linen
127 x 127 cm
50 x 50 in
Hayv Kahraman, Moustache mask, 2021
Hayv Kahraman
Moustache mask
2021
Oil on linen
88.9 x 88.9 cm
35 x 35 in
Hayv Kahraman, AntiBody outpour, 2021
Hayv Kahraman
AntiBody outpour
2021
Oil on linen
88.9 x 88.9 cm
35 x 35 in
Hayv Kahraman, Green AntiBody, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Green AntiBody
2020
Oil and dried pigment on panel
127 x 127 cm
50 x 50 in
Hayv Kahraman, Red AntiBody, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Red AntiBody
2020
Oil and dried pigment on panel
127 x 127 cm
50 x 50 in
Hayv Kahraman, 3 Bends, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
3 Bends
2020
Oil on panel
127 x 157.5 cm
50 x 62 in
Hayv Kahraman, Back Bend 1, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Back Bend 1
2020
Oil on panel
127 x 127 cm
50 x 50 in
Hayv Kahraman, Back Bend 2, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Back Bend 2
2020
Oil on panel
121.9 x 147.3 cm
48 x 58 in
Hayv Kahraman, Back Fold, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Back Fold
2020
Oil on panel
190.5 x 114.3 cm
75 x 45 in
Hayv Kahraman, Bend Drawing 10, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Bend Drawing 10
2020
Watercolour on paper
12 x 14 cm
4 3/4 x 5 1/2 in
Hayv Kahraman, Bend Drawing 2, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Bend Drawing 2
2020
Watercolour on paper
32.5 x 21.5 cm
12 3/4 x 8 1/2 in
Hayv Kahraman, Bend Drawing 5, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Bend Drawing 5
2020
Watercolour on paper
16 x 18 cm
6 1/4 x 7 1/8 in
Hayv Kahraman, Bend Drawing 6, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Bend Drawing 6
2020
Watercolor on paper
12.7 x 12 cm
5 x 4 3/4 in
Hayv Kahraman, Bend Drawing 7, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Bend Drawing 7
2020
Watercolour on paper
25 x 22.5 cm
9 7/8 x 8 7/8 in
Hayv Kahraman, Bend Drawing 9, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Bend Drawing 9
2020
Watercolour on paper
18.6 x 15 cm
7 3/8 x 5 7/8 in
Hayv Kahraman, Death Rattle, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
Death Rattle
2020
Oil and dried pigment on panel
127 x 127 cm
50 x 50 in
Hayv Kahraman, The Five, 2020
Hayv Kahraman
The Five
2020
Oil on linen
195.6 x 271.8 cm
77 x 107 in

Exhibitions

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Hayv Kahraman: Look Me in the Eyes
Exhibitions

Hayv Kahraman: Look Me in the Eyes

The artist's largest museum solo presentation to date at the Frye Art Museum, Seattle.
Hayv Kahraman: She has no name
Exhibitions

Hayv Kahraman: She has no name

Pilar Corrias presents a solo exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Hayv Kahraman at its Conduit Street gallery.
Hayv Kahraman: Look Me in the Eyes
Exhibitions

Hayv Kahraman: Look Me in the Eyes

The Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco presents Kahraman’s largest museum solo exhibition to date.
Hayv Kahraman: The Foreign in Us
Exhibitions

Hayv Kahraman: The Foreign in Us

The Moody Center for the Arts presents The Foreign in Us, Kahraman's first solo exhibition in Texas.
Hayv Kahraman: Gut Feelings
Exhibitions

Hayv Kahraman: Gut Feelings

The Mosaic Rooms presents Gut Feelings, a solo exhibition of paintings and mixed media works by Hayv Kahraman.
Hayv Kahraman: The Touch of Otherness
Exhibitions

Hayv Kahraman: The Touch of Otherness

The Touch of Otherness at SCAD Museum of Art features large-scale works that expand on Kahraman’s research on human biology.
Hayv Kahraman | Christina Quarles: Our Whole, Unruly Selves
Exhibitions

Hayv Kahraman | Christina Quarles: Our Whole, Unruly Selves

Featuring over 90 works from the 1960s to the present, largely drawn from the San José Museum of Art’s collection.
Hayv Kahraman | Christina Quarles: New Time: Art and Feminisms in the 21st Century
Exhibitions

Hayv Kahraman | Christina Quarles: New Time: Art and Feminisms in the 21st Century

On view at the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, this exhibition explores recent feminist practices in contemporary art.
Hayv Kahraman and Tschabalala Self: Romancing the Mirror
Exhibitions

Hayv Kahraman and Tschabalala Self: Romancing the Mirror

The group exhibition Romancing the Mirror at MOCA Jacksonville showcases a new generation of women artists.
Hayv Kahraman
Exhibitions

Hayv Kahraman

Pilar Corrias presents an exhibition of ten new paintings and a group of drawings by Hayv Kahraman.
Hayv Kahraman: Acts of Reparation
Exhibitions

Hayv Kahraman: Acts of Reparation

Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis presents a solo exhibition with Hayv Kahraman.

Selected press

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ArtAsiaPacific

Hayv Kahraman: She has no name is reviewed by ArtAsiaPacific

Yi Ting Lee reviews Hayv Kahraman's solo exhibition She has no name at Pilar Corrias (12 April–25 May 2024) for...
3.7.2024
Wallpaper*

Don’t miss: Hayv Kahraman intertwines colonialism and botany in London

Havy Kahraman speaks to Wallpaper* on the occasion of the artist's solo exhibition at Pilar Corrias, She has no name.
22.5.2024
BOMB Magazine

Hayv Kahraman is interviewed by BOMB

Hayv Kahraman is interviewed by Will Fenstermaker on the occasion of her solo exhibition Look Me in the Eyes at...
15.5.2024
Art in America

Hayv Kahraman Paints Resistance Against the Classification of Migrants and Refugees

Hayv Kahraman speaks with Art in America on the occasion of the artist's solo exhibition Look Me in the Eyes,...
15.5.2024
artnet

Why Hayv Kahraman’s Women Won’t Let You See Them

Hayv Kahraman speaks to artnet about the influences behind the exhibitions Look Me in the Eyes at the ICA San...
5.5.2024
The White Review

Gut Feelings

1.7.2022
ArtReview

The Politics of Pain in Hayv Kahraman’s Exposed, Knotted Bodies

3.5.2022
The Mosaic Rooms

Audio: Hayv Kahraman on neurosculpting, the microbial world and 'Gut Feelings'

25.2.2022
The Guardian

Hayv Kahraman: ‘I was brainwashed into thinking anything Euro-American-centric is the ideal’

21.2.2022
Art Basel

On the rise of figurative female painters – and the gallerist championing them

Wendy Vogel highlights the work of Gisela McDaniel, Christina Quarles, Hayv Kahraman, Tschabalala Self, Tala Madani and Sofia Mitsola for...
15.5.2021

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