Hayv Kahraman, The Foreign in Us

Winner of the Silver Medal in Fine Art from the 2025 Independent Publisher Book Awards

The work of Iraqi Kurdish, Los Angeles–based artist Hayv Kahraman explores topics of memory and dynamics of non-fixity that are part of the diasporic experience. Encompassing painting, drawing, performance and sculpture, Kahraman poignantly foregrounds the body as object and subject to address gendered racism, migrant consciousness and marginal spaces. 

The Foreign in Us includes new and recent paintings and drawings by Kahraman, informed by the artist’s cultural heritage and her experience as a refugee, while probing her research-driven practice. Through her trenchant imagery, unconventional use of materials and investigation into the decolonization of the body and nature, Kahraman challenges fear and apprehension of otherness, advocating instead for compassion and acceptance.

This catalog presents original writings by Kahraman on the development of her artistic practice over the last five years, accompanied by an insightful essay from Miriam Ticktin, anthropology professor at the CUNY Graduate Center, which offers deeper context to Kahraman’s oeuvre.

Published in conjunction with the exhibition Hayv Kahraman: The Foreign in Us, organized by the Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University, Januay 12 - May 11, 2024. 

Edited by Frauke V. Josehans

Published by Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University

Distributed by Gregory R. Miller & Co. 

ISBN 978-1-941366-62-2