Hayv Kahraman's Gut Feelings exhibition explores trauma through intestinal metaphors and flax fiber

The exhibition "Gut Feelings" by Hayv Kahraman is on view at The Mosaic Rooms in London from February 25 to May 29. The Iraqi-American artist, who fled Iraq during the Gulf War, employs exposed intestines as symbols of psychological trauma. Her artwork, which merges Persian miniature and Italian Renaissance styles, depicts women interacting with internal organs. In the first gallery, jars of torshi are displayed across from her painting "Entanglements with torshi" (2021), inspired by her research into torshi fermentation and the use of dew-retted flax fiber. The second gallery showcases sketches and flax fiber growths, while the final gallery features suspended paintings that represent the fragility of trauma, with figures exhibiting a resilient calm amidst their challenges.