Hayv Kahraman on Loss, Fire, and Reconnection in 'What cannot be said will be wept'
Hayv Kahraman, an artist originally from Iraq, is showcasing her exhibition titled 'What cannot be said will be wept' at the Pilar Corrias gallery in London until 6 September. This exhibition delves into her personal journey of losing her home during the 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles, marking her second displacement after escaping Iraq in the early 1990s. Through her artwork, which features marbling techniques developed since 2024, she addresses themes of trauma, gender oppression, and ecological violence with female figures. Notable pieces include 'Three Figures in Spiral', 'Ancestral Tides', and 'Brittle Star'. Kahraman draws inspiration from Sumerian mythology and the experiences of asylum seekers, influenced by thinkers like Karen Barad and Thom van Dooren, and has shifted towards intuitive painting after the fire, also mentioning her engagement with Elif Shafak's novel.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'What cannot be said will be wept' runs until 6 September at Pilar Corrias, Conduit Street, London.
- Kahraman's home was destroyed in the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, her second displacement after fleeing Iraq as a war refugee in the early 1990s.
- The show includes works such as 'Three Figures in Spiral', 'Ancestral Tides', 'Eyes in Waters', 'Figure Threading Tear Beads', and 'Brittle Star'.
- Kahraman uses marbling, submerging canvas in water with pigments, as a first step in her paintings.
- Figures often lack irises, referencing asylum seekers who mutilate fingerprints or irises to evade tracking.
- Kahraman cites Sumerian mythology, including Inanna and Tiamat, and the creation of the Tigris and Euphrates from Tiamat's tears.
- She references Karen Barad's 'intra-action' and the brittlestar as a model for collective existence.
- Kahraman changed her practice post-fire, moving from systematic research to intuitive painting.
- She read her first novel, 'There are rivers in the sky' by Elif Shafak.
- The interview was conducted by Paul Carey-Kent for Artlyst.
Entities
Artists
- Hayv Kahraman
- Paul Carey-Kent
Institutions
- Pilar Corrias
- Artlyst
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Iraq
- Sweden
- Canada
- Italy
- Denmark
Sources
- Artlyst —