Skip to content

About

Hayv Kahraman’s multifaceted work—painting, performance, and sculpture— primarily deals with the body politics of migrant consciousness. Her paintings take on themes of memory, violence, and involuntary migration as she processes her childhood in the war-torn country of Iraq and her adolescence in Sweden as a refugee. While Kahraman’s work is intertwined with the histories of the Iran-Iraq and Gulf Wars, it is also invested in the idea of feminine collectivity, identity, belonging, and diasporic cultural memory.

Kahraman is known for creating exquisite figurative paintings on large linen panels that depict women with iridescent pale skin and inky black hair, often appearing distorted, fragmented, nude, or draped in attire decorated with Islamic geometric patterns. The disfigurement and fragmentation of the figures parallels the struggles of forced displacement. The violence of these images signifies the trauma refugees experience and their sense of detachment from the homelands they have left behind. For Kahraman, the figure she paints represents herself as a colonized woman. Through the body of this woman and the repetitive nature of her work, Kahraman grapples with a history of displacement, loss, memory, and trauma. In more recent work, Kahraman investigates ideas around immunology, military threats to our bodies, and the kinds of language used to describe our bodies, and the relationship of these to the issues around immigration and political discourse.

Hayv Kahraman was born in 1981 in Baghdad, Iraq, and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. Her work is represented by Jack Shainman Gallery, New York; Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects; and Third Line Gallery, Dubai.

Recent solo exhibitions include Look Me in the Eyes, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco, CA (2024); Gut Feelings: Part II, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE (2023);Gut Feelings, Mosaic Rooms, London, UK (2022); The Touch of Otherness, SCAD Museum of Art, Georgia (2022); The touch of Otherness, Vielmetter Los Angeles (2021); Not Quite Human: Second Iteration, Pilar Corrias Gallery, London, (2020); Hayv Kahraman: Superfluous Bodies, Honolulu Museum of Art, Hawaii, (2019); To the Land of the Waqwaq, Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Hawaii, (2019); Silence is Gold, Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Los Angeles (2018); Acts of Reparation, Contemporary Art Museum, St Louis (2017); Hayv Kahraman, The Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE (2016); Audible Inaudible, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE (2016); How Iraqi are You?, Jack Shainman, New York (2015).

Selected group exhibitions include; Women Defining Women In Contemporary Art Of The Middle East And Beyond, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, (2023); Perpetual Inventory, Volume 1: An Exercise in Looking, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE (2022); In the Heart of Another Country: The Diasporic Imagination, The Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE; Deichtorhallen, Hamburg, Germany (2022); Reflections contemporary art of the Middle East and North Africa, The British Museum, London (2021); There Is Fiction In The Space Between, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE (2020); 100 Masterpieces of Modern and Contemporary Arab Art, The Barjeel Collection, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France (2017); Thessaloniki Biennial 5, Thessaloniki, Greece (2015); Neighbors: Contemporary Narratives from Turkey and Beyond, The Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Istanbul, Turkey (2014); CONTEMPORARY: Architecture, Culture and Identity, Louisiana Museum of Modern, Humlebaek, Denmark (2013); Jameel Prize Tour, San Antonio Museum of Art (2013) and The Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2011); Jameel Prize Tour, Museum of Fine Art, Houston (2012); Disquieting Muses, Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki, State Museum of Contemporary Art, Greece (2011); Of Women’s Modesty and Anger, Villa Empain Center for the Arts, Brussels (2011).

Her work is featured in various international collections including The Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE; San Diego Museum of Art, CA; Birmingham Museum of Art, AL; The Rubell Family Collection, Miami; The Saatchi Gallery, London, UK; The Barjeel Art Foundation Sharjah, UAE; MATHAF: Arab Museum of Modern Art Doha, Qatar; Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, Ohio; North Carolina; Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina; among others.

Selected Works

This image depicts an artwork by Hayv Kahraman titled "T Wall Prayer Hands." This artwork was created in 2023 and measures 2 Panels 100" x 50" [HxW] (254 x 127 cm) each; 100" x 103" [HxW] (254 x 261.62 cm) overall. Its medium is Oil and acrylic on linen.
Hayv Kahraman
"T Wall Prayer Hands," 2023
This image depicts an artwork by Hayv Kahraman titled "Weedwreath." This artwork was created in 2023 and measures 50" x 100" [HxW] (127 x 254 cm). Its medium is Oil and acrylic on linen.
Hayv Kahraman
"Weedwreath," 2023
This image depicts an artwork by Hayv Kahraman titled "3eoon." This artwork was created in 2024 and measures 13" x 13" [HxW] (33.02 x 33.02 cm). Its medium is Watercolor and goauche on flax fiber.
Hayv Kahraman
"3eoon," 2024
This image depicts an artwork by Hayv Kahraman titled "Pigeons." This artwork was created in 2021 and measures 85" x 52" [HxW] (215.9 x 132.08 cm). Its medium is Oil on linen.
Hayv Kahraman
"Pigeons," 2021
Hayv Kahraman “Binding,” 2021
Hayv Kahraman
“Binding,” 2021
Hayv Kahraman “Swallowing Antibodies,” 2021
Hayv Kahraman
“Swallowing Antibodies,” 2021
Hayv Kahraman “untitled,” 2021
Hayv Kahraman
“untitled,” 2021
Hayv Kahraman “The Appeal 11,” 2018
Hayv Kahraman
“The Appeal 11,” 2018
Hayv Kahraman The Appeal 2, 2018
Hayv Kahraman
"The Appeal 2," 2018
Hayv Kahraman, Bodies #2, 2018, Oil on linen, 78 x 50" [HxW] (198.12 x 127 cm)
Hayv Kahraman
"Bodies #2," 2018
Hayv Kahraman, Bodies #1, 2018, Oil on linen, 78 x 50" [HxW] (198.12 x 127 cm)
Hayv Kahraman
"Bodies #1," 2018
Hayv Kahraman, The Celebrity, 2018, Oil on linen, 100 x 79" [HxW] (254 x 2.66 cm), Photo credit: Robert Wedemeyer
Hayv Kahraman
"The Celebrity," 2018
Hayv Kahraman, The Audience, 2018, Oil on linen, 97 x 73" [HxW] (246.38 x 185.42 cm), Photo credit: Robert Wedemeyer
Hayv Kahraman
"The Audience," 2018
Hayv Kahraman, Procession, 2017, Oil on linen, 50 x 78 x 3" [HxWxD], Photo credit: Jeff McLane
Hayv Kahraman
"Procession," 2017

Exhibitions

1981
Born in Baghdad, Iraq
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
2006
University of Umeå, Sweden
2005
Accademia di arte e design di Firenze, Florence, Italy

Selected Solo and Two Person Exhibitions

2024-2025
"Look Me in the Eyes," ICA San Francisco, San Francisco, CA; Traveling to Fyre Art Museum Museum of Fine Arts, Seattle, WA
2024
"She has no name," Pilar Corrias, London, UK
"The Foreign in Us," The Moody Center for the Arts, Houston, TX; Traveling to Rose Art Museum, Waltham, MA
2023
"Gut Feelings: Part II," The Third Line, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, UAE
2022
"Gut Feelings," The Mosaic Rooms, Tower House, London, UK
"Hayv Kahraman: The Touch of Otherness," SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, GA
2021
"Hayv Kahraman: The Touch of Otherness," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
2020
"Hayv Kahraman," Pilar Corrias, London, UK
2019
"Hayv Kahraman: Not Quite Human," Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY
“To the Land of the Waqwaq," Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design, Honolulu, HI
"Hayv Kahraman: 
Superfluous Bodies," Museum of Art in Honolulu, HI
"Hayv Kahraman: Displaced Choreographies," curated by Rosie Cooper, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexill On Sea, Sussex, UK (Link)
2018
"Silence Is Gold," Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Los Angeles, CA
"Project Series 52: Hayv Kahraman," Pomona College Museum of Art, Claremont, CA (Link)
2017
"Re-weaving Migrant Inscriptions," Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY (Link)
"Acts of Reparation," Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, St. Louis, MO (Link)
2016
"Audible Inaudible," The Third Line, Dubai, UAE
"Artist Drawing Club: Sound Wounds," Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA (Link)
"Hayv Kahraman," Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE
"A Change of Place: Four Solo Exhibitions," The School, Kinderhook, NY
2015
"How Iraqi Are You?," Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY
2014
"Collective Performance," Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, KS; Duke University, Durham, NC
2013
"Let the Guest be the Master," Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY
2012
"Extimacy," The Third Line Gallery, Dubai
2010
"Pins and Needles," The Third Line Gallery, Dubai
"Seven Gates," Green Cardamom Gallery, London, UK
"Waraq," Frey Norris Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2009
"Marionettes," The Third Line Gallery, Doha, Qatar
2007
"Celebrating Women in the Arts," Diyarbakir, Turkey

Selected Group Exhibitions

2025
"HT25 (Hawai’i Triennial 2025)," Hawai’i Contemporary, O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island, HI (forthcoming) (Link)
"Irreplaceable You: Personhood and Dignity in Art, 1980s to Now," The Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA), Brunswick, ME
2024-2025
"Three Tired Tigers," Jameel Arts Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2024
"Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World," San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA
"The Infinite Woman," Foundation Villa Carmignac, France
"Ten Thousand Suns," Sydney Bienniale, Sydney, Australia
2023
“Women on the Verge,” Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, IL
"The Inescapable Intertwining of All Lives," Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany (Link)
"O Quilombismo," Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), Berlin, Germany
"Women Defining Women In Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond," Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
2022
"In The Heart of Another Country," Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
"Stressed World," Jack Shainman Gallery, The School, Kinderhook, NY
"Women Painting Women," The Modern, Fort Worth, TX
2021-2022
"Our whole, unruly selves," San José Museum of Art, San José, CA (Link)
2021
"Reflections contemporary art of the Middle East and North Africa," The British Museum, London, UK (Link)
"Anti/Body," Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY (Link)
2020
"20 Years," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
2020-2021
“New Time: Art and Feminisms in the 21st Century,” Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, CA
2019-2020
“Driving Forces: Contemporary Art from the Collection of Ann and Ron Pizzuti,” Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH
“In Plain Sight,” Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
2019
“I Will See It, When I Believe It," Third Line gallery, Dubai, UAE
"When Home Won't Let you Stay: Migration through Contemporary Art," curated by Eva Respini, ICA Boston, Boston, MA
2019-2020
“Suffering from Realness,” MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA (Link)
2019
"Pulse," Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS
2018
"Still I Rise," Nottingham Contemporary, UK; De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, UK
"Jameel Prize 5," curated by Salma Tuqan, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK
2017
"The Centre Cannot Hold," curated by Suzanne Egeran, Near East, Istanbul, Turkey
"Between Two Rounds of Fire, The Exile of the Sea: Modern and Contemporary Works from the Barjeel Art Collection, United Arab Emirates," The American University Museum, Katzen Arts Center, Washington D.C.
”Dreamers Awake,” White Cube Gallery, London, UK
"The Art Show: Art of the New Millennium in the Taguchi Art Collection," The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma, Japan
2016
"Making Her Mark," Mattuck Museum, Waterbury, CT
"Us is Them," The Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, OH
"No Mans Land: Women Artists from the Rubell Family Collection," Rubell Collection, Miami, FL; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C
"Winter in America," The School, Kinderhook, New York, NY
2015
"Piece by Piece: Building a Collection," Kemper Musem of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
"June: A Painting Show," Sadie Coles HQ, London, UK
"UNREALISM: Presented by Larry Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch," The Moore Building, Miami, FL
"5th Thessaloniki Biennale: Old Intersections-Make it Νew ΙΙΙ," curated by Katerina Gregos, Greek State Museum, Thessaloniki, Greece
"Minor Heroisms," Galeri Zilberman, Istanbul, Turkey
2014
"Neighors: contemporary narratives from Turkey and beyond," curated by Celenk Bafra, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Istanbul, Turkey
"Contemporary Narratives from Turkey and Beyond," curated by Çelenk Bafra and Paolo Colombo, Istanbul Modern, Turkey
"Mise En Scène," The School, Kinderhook, NY
"Now Babylon – Architecture, Culture and Identity," curated by Kjeld Kjeldse, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark
2013
"Jameel Prize," Victoria & Albert Museum; San Antonia Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX; Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, CA
"Echoes: Islamic Art and Contemporary Artists," Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, MO
"The Beginning of Thinking is Geometric," curated by Sara Raza, Maraya Art Center, Dubai, UAE
"Silk," curated by Jane Neal, Highlight Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2012
"Fertile Crescent," Rutgers Paul Robeson Gallery, Newark, NJ
"Newtopia: The State of Human Rights," Kazerne Dossin Museum, Mechelen, Belgium
"Cross-Currents: Tradition and Innovation in Contemporary Art of the Islamic World," curated by Jessica Hunter-Larsen, I.D.E.A. Space, Colorado Springs, CO
"Look Both Ways," Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2011
"The Jameel Prize 2011 – Shortlist Exhibition," curated by Salma Tuqan, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK; Casa Arabe, Madrid, Spain; Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
"The State: Social/Antisocial?," curated by Rami Farook, The Third Line Gallery and Traffic Dubai, UAE
"Disquieting Muses," curated by Syrago Tsiara, Thessaloniki State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece
"I Don't Need Your Money Honey, All I Need Is Love," Traffic Gallery, Dubai, UAE
"Of Women’s Modesty and Anger," Villa Empain/Boghossian Foundation, Brussels, Belgium
2010
"The Silk Road," Le Tri Postal, Lille, France
"Women Painters From Five Continents," Osart Gallery, Milan, Italy
2009
"Balla-Drama," Paradise Row Gallery, London, UK
"Echo," Frey Norris Gallery, San Francisco, CA
"Sharjah Biennial," Sharjah, UAE
"Taswir: Pictorial Mapping of Islam and Modernity," Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany
"Unveiled; New Art from the Middle East," Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
2008
"Hayv Kahraman & I-Ling Eleen Lin," Thierry Goldberg Projects, New York, NY
"Local Produce," The Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2007
"Life Drawing," The Third Line, Dubai, UAE
"Celebrating Women in the Arts," Diyarbakir, Turkey
2006
"Demons," Phoenix Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

Bibliography

2025
Karl, Brian. "The Eyes Have It: Hayv Kahraman Pairs Seduction and Surveillance at Seattle’s Frye Museum," Observer, January 5 (Link)
2024
Willems, Adam. "Look Her in the Eyes," The Stranger, November 27 (Link)
Vansynghel, Margo. "Top Seattle art shows to see in fall 2024," The Seattle Times, September 4
Silver, Hannah. "Don’t miss: Hayv Kahraman intertwines colonialism and botany in London," Wallpaper*, May 15 (Link)
Fenstermaker, Will. "Hayv Kahraman by Will Fenstermaker," BOMB Magazine, May 15 (Link)
Aton, Francesca. "Hayv Kahraman Paints Resistance Against the Classification of Migrants and Refugees," Art in America, May 15 (Link)
Diaconov, Valentin. "Conditioning the Other with Hayv Kahraman," Glasstire, April 30 (Link)
González, Rosa Boshier. "Hayv Kahraman: The Foreign in Us," The Brooklyn Rail, April (Link)
Quick, Genevieve. "‘Look Me in the Eyes’ confronts the phantasmagoria of Kurdish history," 48Hills, March 6 (Link)
Aton, Francesca. "Loves Me, Loves Me Not," Art in America, March
Outsmart Staff. "Hayv Kahraman: The Foreign in Us," Outsmart Magazine, February 1 (Link)
McCarthy, Michael. "Inside ICA SF's Solo Exhibition By Iraqi-Born Artist Hayv Kahraman," San Francisco Magazine, February 5 (Link)
Edquist, Grace. "In a Breakthrough Show at ICA SF, Hayv Kahraman Stares Down Her Demons," Vogue, January 29 (Link)
Gaines, Tarra. "10 vivid and eye-catching exhibits no Houston art fan should miss," CultureMap Houston, January 9 (Link)
2023
Staff, Heni News. "Hayv Kahraman, the artist who subverts refugee stereotypes with beauty and wit," Heni News, May 31 (Link)
Lescaze, Zoë. "The Artists Depicting the Power and Strangeness of Breasts," T Magzine, May 16 (Link)
Kane, Ashleigh. "Hayv Kahraman on Seeking Asylum: “Why Is One Life Worth More Than Another?”," AnOther Magazine, April 10
Talass, Rawaa. "Hayv Kahraman's Provocative New Paintings Express Trauma and Healing," Artsy, March 17 (Link)
Jalal, Maan. "Hayv Kahraman’s new Dubai exhibition explores health connections between the gut and mind," National News, February 16 (Link)
2022
Barry, Selena. “The Politics of Pain in Hayv Kahraman’s Exposed, Knotted Bodies.” Art Review, May 3
Benzine, Vittoria. "In Pictures: A Texas Exhibition Shines a Light on Paintings of Women, by Women," Artnet, September 14 (Link)
Khong, En Liang. "The pain of forced migration made physical in Hayv Kahraman’s paintings," The Financial Times, March 11 (Link)
Sherwin, Skye. "Hayv Kahraman: ‘I was brainwashed into thinking anything Euro-American-centric is the ideal’," The Guardian, February 21 (Link)
2021
Yerebakan, Osman Can. "South Asia’s Renaissance of Miniature Painting," Daily News Sri Lanka, June 16 (Link)
Yerebakan, Osman Can. "Women Artists of the Middle East and South Asia Are Reinventing Miniature Painting," Artsy, June 14 (Link)
News, Arab. "British Museum shines spotlight on MENA artists in new exhibition," Arab News, June 11 (Link)
Barrie, Lita. "Hayv Kahraman’s touch of Otherness at Vielmetter Los Angeles," Whitehot Magazine, March 31
Gómez-Upegui, Salomé. "How Female Artists Are Subverting Mainstream Portrayals of Women," Artsy, January 18
2020
Almino, Elisa Wouk. “Meet LA’s Art Community: Hayv Kahraman Is Examining What It Means to Be ‘Immune.’” Hyperallergic, September 18 (Link)
Black, Holly. “Hayv Kahraman’s Paintings Question the Language of the Pandemic.” ELEPHANT, September 25 (Link)
Mathews, Odelia. “How Art Auction Houses Are Exploring New Digital Avenues.” Harper’s Baazar Arabia, October 25
2019
Zara, Janelle. "Angeleno painters Christina Quarles, Hayv Kahraman, and Trulee Hall are redefining the female gaze," December (Link)
D'Souza, Aruna. "The body as spectacle: Hayv Kahraman’s contorted female forms personify trauma and resistance," Document, December 9 (Link)
Ye, Fiona. "New exhibition ‘In Plain Sight’ powerfully brings unheard voices into public sphere," The Daily, November 27 (Link)
Del Barco, Mandalit. "Iraqi American Artist Hayv Kahraman on ‘Building An Army of Fierce Women’," NPR, November 27 (Link)
Hohail Shehmir Shaikh, Ayesha. "We Review Four New Books On Middle Eastern Art, Femininity And Empowerment," Harper's Bazaar, September 25 (Link)
Vartanian Collier, Lizzy. "Challenging Stereotypes by Contorting the Female Form," Hyperallergic, September 9 (Link)
Cascone, Sarah and Caroline Goldstein. "21 Gallery Shows You Won’t Want to Miss in New York This Fall, From Amy Sherald’s Star Turn to a Historic Cuban Artist’s US Debut," artnet, September 3 (Link)
Belcove, Julie. "How This Artist Is Using Female Contortionists to Represent the Plight of Minorities," Robb Report, August 4 (Link)
"The Third Line summer show at Alserkal Avenue," Arab News, May 25 (Link)
Okamura, Sara Farrell. "A Wake-Up Call at MASS MoCA: Suffering from Realness," Greylock Glass, May 5 (Link)
Hodgson, Emma. "How Art Dubai's Inclusive New Direction Is A Win For Us All," Grazia Middle East, March 13 (Link)
2018
Beeston, Georgia. "'You have to go deeper': Islamic art comes alive at Jameel prize in London," Middle East Eye, October 11 (Link)
Judah, Hettie. "Frieze London review – women on top at the #MeToo art fair," The Guardian, October 4 (Link)
Shaikh, Ayesha, "5 Art Books That Will Immediately Upgrade Your Coffee Table," Harper's Bazaar Arabia (web), September 27 (Link)
Mizota, Sharon, "Review: Hayv Kahraman’s paintings of decorous Kurdish women short-circuit stereotypical images of Iraq," LA Times (web), September 17 (Link)
Feliciano, Kristina, "Sex Work and Survival in Hayv Kahraman's 'Silence Is Gold,'" Gallery Gurls (web), Spetmeber 22 (Link)
Finkel, Jori, "Hayv Kahraman on the Kurdish exodus—and the trouble with humanitarian campaigns," The Art Newspaper (web), September 21 (Link)
"Top London Art Shows this Week: Justin John Greene to Tomma Abts," Blouin ArtInfo, September 3 (Link)
Forshaw, Siobhan, "Hayv Kahraman’s Politics of Painting," Elephant (web), July 25 (Link)
Da Silva, Jose, Gareth Harris, and Emily Sharpe,"Three to See: London," The Art Newspaper (web), June 29 (Link)
Lescase, Zoe, “13 Artists On: Immigration,” The New York Times Style Magazine (web), June 19 (Link)
“These Artists and Designers Have Made the Shortlist for Jameel Prize 5,” Harper’s Bazaar (web), June 19 (Link)
Stoughton, India, “Middle Eastern Artists Give Traditional Art A Modern Twist,” Al-Monitor (web), June 4 (Link)
Li, Alvin, “Art Basel Hong Kong,” art-agenda (web), April 4 (Link)
Brady, Anna, “Collector’s Eye: Muna Al Gurg,” The Art Newspaper (web), March 26 (Link)
Vali, Murtaza, “Hayv Kahraman at Jack Shainman Gallery,” frieze, March
Greenberger, Alex, "Shortlist Revealed for 2018 Jameel Prize," ARTnews (web), February 6 (Link)
2017
LePique, Annette, ""Hayv Kahraman: Acts of Reparation // CAM St. Louis," The Seen (web), December 18 (Link)
Vasvani, Bansie, “Re-Weaving Migrant Inscriptions: Hayv Kahraman,” Art Asia Pacific, December (Link)
Hamdan, Lara ,”Iraqi-born artist Hayv Kahraman creates performance based on collective memories,” St. Louis Public Radio, November 29 (Link)
Memarian, Omid, “Weaving Objects of Loss and Memory with Hayv Kahraman,” Global Voices (web), December 2 (Link)
Vali, Murtaza, “Hayv Kahraman at Jack Shainman Gallery, New York,” frieze (web), December 6 (Link)
Goldie, Kaelen Wilson, “Critics’ Pick: Hayv Kahraman at Jack Shainman Gallery,” Artforum (web), November (Link)
Ray, Sharmistha, “An Iraqi Artist Bears Witness to the Trauma of Displacement,” Hyperallergic (web), November 25 (Link)
Scott, Izabella, “The Pivotal Role That Women Have Played in Surrealism,” Artsy (web), July 4
Fowler, Nancy, “Is upcoming Contemporary Art Museum exhibition opportunity for a do-over,” KBIA (web), August 2
2016
Weiss, Haley. “Altering Space and Forming Place at The School.” Interview Magazine, May 23
Parkes, Olivia. “The Artist Painting Memories of Iraq,” Broadly VICE, July 9
Harper’s Bazaar Arabia. “Penetrating the Silence: Hayv Kahraman.” Harper’s Bazaar Arabia. Autumn 2016: pp. 46-54, illustrated.
Wilson, Emily. “An Artist Reanimates the Sounds and Signs of the Persian Gulf War.” Hyperallergic, September 6
Seaman, Anna. “Exiled Iraqi artist Hayv Kahraman on how real life inspired her newest exhibition.” The National, September 25
Farber, Janet L. “Migrant Consciousness: Artist Kahraman’s refugee experience informs conflicting images of women in Joslyn exhibit.” The Reader, October 3
Lowry, Vicky. “Art of War: Iraqi-born artist Hayv Kahraman captures the effects of conflict in her hauntingly beautiful paintings.” Architectural Digest. November 2016: p. 92, illustrated.
Biswas, Allison. “Ladies in Waiting: Glass meets seminal Iraqi artist Hayv Kahraman.” Glass Magazine. Issue 28. Winter 2016: pp. 122-127, illustrated.
2015
Zafiris, Alex. “Hayv Kahraman: Inside / Outside, The artist discusses refugee trauma, female oppression, and her new show, How Iraqi Are You?.” Guernica – a magazine of global arts & politics, March 16
Monica, Lauren P. Della, "Bodies of Work - Contemporary Figurative Painting," [S.l.]: Schiffer Publishing Ltd
Roselione-Valadez, Juan, Tami-Katz Freiman, and Anna Stothart, "No Man’s Land: Women Artists from the Rubell Family Collection"
Smith, Roberta, “Hayv Kahraman: How Iraqi Are You?”, The New York Times, March
2014
Bryant, Eric. “In the Studio: Defying Definition: Hayv Kahraman’s New Work Pushes Beyond Gender Roles and Geopolitics into Fresh Territory.” Art + Auction (March 2014): 73–77, illustrated.
Mohammed, Sehba, “Hayv Kahraman”, Modern Painters, March
2013
Mohammad, Sebha. “Hayv Kahraman” (Jack Shainman Gallery exhibition review). Modern Painters (December 2013): 118, illustrated.
Mignolo, Walter, “Sensing Otherwise” Ibraaz, September
Siegal, Nina, “Dark Memories of War Illuminate an Artist’s Work," New York Times, January 11
Cembalest, Robin, “Let It Bleed: The Frightening Scene on the Met’s Roof,” ArtNews, May
Tully, Judd, “Frieze New York Sales: Ropac, Lisson, Kasmin Score Ma- jor Deals," Artinfo, May
2012
Brodsky, Judith, Olin Ferris, Kelly Baum, and Margot Badran, "The Fertile Crescent: Gender, Art and Society," Rutgers University Institute for Women and Art
Soulez, Juliette, “Le Top 10 Des Meilleures Artistes Feministes Arabe,” ArtInfo, August
Mohseni, Yasmine, “The Rich Mosaic of Hayv Kahraman’s Art and Life,” The Huffington Post, March
Mohseni, Yasmine, “Of Violence and Beauty,” Modern Painters, April
2011
Gavin, Francesca, "100 New Artists," London: Laurence Kind Publishing Ltd.
Liao, Vicky, “Hayv Kahraman,” My Dpi Magazine
2009
Farjam, Lisa, "Saatchi Gallery Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East," London: Booth-Clibborn Editions
Martin-Gropius-Bau, Taswir, "Pictorial Mappings of Islam and Modernity," Berliner Festspiele, Berlin
Shabout, Nada, "New Vision: Arab Art and the Twenty-First Century," London: Transglobe Publishing Ltd.
Ailyn, Agonia, “Hayv Kahraman Exhibition,” Qatar Tribune, May
Berwick, Carly, “Critic’s Pick,” ARTnews, October
Gleadel, Colin, “Art Sales: A Round-up of the Contemporary Art Fair in Dubai,” The Telegraph, March
Glover, Michael, “Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East,” The Independent, February
Goldie, Kaele Wilson, “Package Deal,” The National, February
Grossi, Beatrice, “Hayv Kahraman in Doha,” l’Agenda, May-June
Honigman, Ana Finel, “Interview with Hayv Kahraman,” ARTslant
Loha, Nethal, “Hayv Kahraman,” Marie Claire, August
Mohseni, Yasmine, “Inner Travels,” Canvas, November
Pitman, Joanna, “Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East at Saatchi Gallery,” The Sunday Times, January
Rosenberg, Karen, “Toplessness and Taxidermy in a Bottomless Mar- ket,” The New York Times, March 6
Wallace-Thompson, Anna, “Smile, You’re in Sharjah,” Canvas, May
2008
Fekri, Reem, “Urban Artists,” Browbook, May-June
Vali, Muratza, “Life Drawing: Review,” Bidoun, Spring-Summer
White, Lucy, “Arty Investments,” Wafi Collection, July

Group Exhibition Catalogues and Books

2022
Morrill, Rebecca, et al., eds. Great Women Painters. London, Phaidon, 2022.
2021
Hernandez, Jasmin. We Are Here: Visionaries of Color Transforming the Art World. Abrams, Incorporated. 2021.
Bose, Melia. Intersections: Art and Islamic Cosmopolitanism. University of Florida Press, 2021.
DiQuinzio, A., Hejinian, L., and Butler, J. (2021). New time: Art and feminisms in the 21st Century. Pg 96-97. University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.
2020
al-Hariri, Impostures. NYU Press, New York, NY, 2020.
2019
Respini, Eva, and Ruth Erickson. When Home Won’t Let You Stay: Migration Through Contemporary Art. Yale University Press, 2019.
Kennedy, Madeleine. The Enchanted Interior. 2019.
Markonish, Denise. Suffering from Realness. Prestel Publishing, 2019.
Rebecca Morrill, Karen Wright, and Louisa Elderton, Great Women Artists. London, Phaidon, 2019.
Ibel, Rebecca, Nannette V. Maciejunes, and Dara Pizzuti. Driving Forces: Contemporary Art from the Collection of Ann and Ron Pizzuti. Columbus Museum of Art. Hopkins Printing, 2019: pp. 70-71, Illustrated.
2018
Wassan, Al-Khudhairi, et al. Hayv Kahraman. Rizzoli Electa, 2018.
Kahraman, Hayv, Rebecca McGrew, Madina Tlostanova, and Sinan Antoon. Hayv Kahraman: Project 52 Series, D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, Inc.: New York, NY (Link)
2017
Kahraman, Hayv, Wassan Al-Khudhairi, Walter Mignolo, Octavio Zaya, J. Martin Daughtry, and Loren Olson. Hayv Kahraman: Acts of Reparation, Artbook/D.A.P: New York, NY (Link)
Luard, Honey. Dreamers Awake, Curated by Susanna Greeves (exhibition catalogue). White Cube Bermondsey, London, United Kingdom, June – September 2017: p. 68-69, illustrated.
Kufer, Katrina. Sharjah’s Barjeel Art Foundation Collection on Show in Washington DC. Harper’s Bazar Arabia, October 2017.
Fowler, Nancy. Is upcoming Contemporary Art Museum exhibition opportunity for a do-over? St. Louis Public Radio, St. Louis, Missouri, 2 August 2017.
2016
Morrill, Rebecca, Kathryn Rattee, and Julia Hasting. Vitamin P3: New Perspectives in Painting. London, New York: Phaidon Press Limited, 2016: pp. 146-149, illustrated.
2015
Marten, Helen and James Cahill. June: A Painting Show, (exhibition catalogue), Sadie Coles HQ, June 9 – August 15, 2015: illustrated.
Roselione-Valadez, Juan, Tami-Katz Freiman, and Anna Stothart. No Man’s Land: Women Artists from the Rubell Family Collection
Monica, Lauren P. Della. Bodies of Work - Contemporary Figurative Painting. [S.l.]: Schiffer Publishing Ltd
2014
Ayad, Myrna, Virginia Blackburn, Adnan Z Manjal, and Wided Khadraoui. Contemporary Kingdom: The Saudi Art Scene Now. 2014.
Rubell Family Collection, and Juan Roselione-Valadez. Rubell Family Collection: Highlights & Artists' Writings. 2014: 598-599, illustrated.
2012
Le Corps DÈcouvert, 2012, Institut du monde arabe, p. 19, 94, illustrated.
Brodsky, Judith, Olin, Ferris, Baum, Kelly, Badran, Margot. The Fertile Crescent: Gender, Art and Society. Rutgers University Institute for Women and Art
2011
Gavin, Francesca. Despite moments of clarity, there is no ‘ism’ in this book. 100 New Artists. Laurence King Publishing, 2011: p. 128-131, illustrated.
2009
Shabout, Nada. New Vision: Arab Art and the Twenty-First Century. London: Transglobe Publishing Ltd.
Martin-Gropius-Bau, Taswir: Pictorial Mappings of Islam and Modernity. Berliner Festspiele, Berlin
Farjam, Lisa. Saatchi Gallery Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East. London: Booth-Clibborn Editions

Awards, Grants and Fellowships

2018
Jameel Prize Short Listed Artist, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK
2014
Excellence in Cultural Creativity, Global Thinkers Forum Awards
2011
Jameel Prize Short Listed Artist, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK

Public Collections

Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Taltham, MA
Rennie Collection, Vancouver, Canada
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Miami, FL
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, QC, Canada
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX
Ford Foundation, New York, NY
The British Museum, London, UK
American Embassy, Baghdad, Iraq
Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL
The Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
MATHAF Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar
Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS
North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC
Pomona College Museum of Art, Pomona, CA
Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, OH
Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL
The Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
San José Museum of Art, San Jose, CA