Navine G. Khan-Dossos's Art Confronts State Violence and Media Stereotypes
Navine G. Khan-Dossos, a London and Athens-based visual artist, employs geometric abstraction in her paintings and murals to confront social injustices. During a studio visit in Athens in 2018, she presented vibrant geometric shapes against a vivid pink backdrop, alluding to sex work signage. These images draw attention to the 2012 forced arrests and HIV tests imposed on female sex workers by Greek authorities. Her work Echo Chamber (2017) at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven features an abstract Islamic motif and depicts Samantha Lewthwaite, challenging prevailing media narratives. Khan-Dossos's art defies straightforward interpretation, amplifying marginalized voices. She has shown her work in numerous venues, with her next exhibition, Shoot the Women First, set to open on 9 February at Z33 in Hasselt. This profile appears in the January and February 2019 issue of ArtReview, authored by Ben Eastham.
Key facts
- Navine G. Khan-Dossos is a visual artist working between London and Athens.
- Her paintings use geometric forms and hot pink to reference sex work and state violence in Greece.
- In 2012, Greek authorities forcibly arrested and HIV-tested female sex workers, imprisoning those with positive results.
- Echo Chamber (2017) is a mural at Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven portraying Samantha or Sherafiyah Lewthwaite.
- The artist employs nonfigurative Islamic art traditions to represent complex subjects without direct storytelling.
- Her work challenges stereotypes propagated by social media and unregulated journalism.
- Khan-Dossos has exhibited at numerous institutions globally, including in Istanbul, Edinburgh, Ramallah, and Doha.
- Shoot the Women First opens on 9 February at Z33 in Hasselt.
Entities
Artists
- Navine G. Khan-Dossos
- Ben Eastham
Institutions
- ArtReview
- K11 Art Foundation
- salt Beyoğlu
- Istanbul Design Biennial
- Talbot Rice Gallery
- Van Abbemuseum
- A. M. Qattan Foundation
- Museum of Islamic Art
- Witte de With
- Delfina Foundation
- State of Concept
- Z33
Locations
- Athens
- Greece
- London
- United Kingdom
- Eindhoven
- Netherlands
- Istanbul
- Turkey
- Edinburgh
- Scotland
- Ramallah
- Palestine
- Doha
- Qatar
- Rotterdam
- Hasselt
- Belgium