On View

Hayv Kahraman: Look Me in the Eyes

October 05, 2024 - February 02, 2025

An oil and acrylic painting of a floating face with repeating eye and eyebrow motifs on linen
A gallery space containing a rectangular, freestanding structure large enough for a person to walk into with a metal frame and sheer curtain walls, plus different artworks hanging on walls in the background
A watercolor and gauche painting of a plant with eyes on its leaves on flax fiber
Two walls in a large gallery, one painted blue and covered in a seemingly haphazard manner with square paintings from a series focused on eyes and faces, the other white with a large artwork made from two panels
An oil and acrylic painting of three female figures without pupils plucking leaves with the appearence of eyes from a plant
A detail of an oil and acrylic painting of three female figures without pupils plucking leaves with the appearence of eyes from a plant
Three pillars made of stacked bricks painted a marbled blue with eyes appear at irregular intervals in front of a lightly painted pink wall with visible drips of paint
A detail view of stacked bricks with painted eyes and designs in oil and acrylic
An oil and acrylic painting of a vine plant, some of whose leaves appear as lidded eyes
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Hayv Kahraman: Look Me in the Eyes interrogates conditions of migration and immigration in the West. In her largest museum solo presentation to date, Kahraman (born 1981, Baghdad) draws upon her longstanding motif of heavily browed, lidded eyes to expose the simultaneous surveillance and erasure of othered bodies. The exhibition features all new work encompassing paintings, large-scale sculptures, and a deeply personal audio installation.

Kahraman’s artwork balances autobiographical and collective experiences informed by her upbringing as an Iraqi/Kurdish refugee in Sweden. These aspects coalesce within female figures that appear throughout the exhibition—near, but not quite, self-portraits. At times, blank, white eyes offset their faces, speaking to government tracking through iris recognition technology. Meanwhile, disembodied eyes appear among plants highlighting how Western systems of botanical classification support racist hierarchies. Kahraman visually unites these disparate elements through marbling, a centuries-old technique that forces her to relinquish artistic control. The patterns that emerge render each work unique—a potent metaphor for resisting assimilation and its insistence on sameness.

Hayv Kahraman: Look Me in the Eyes is organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco and curated by Ali Gass, Founding Director and Chief Curator, with Christine Koppes, former Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs. The Frye Art Museum’s presentation is organized by Georgia Erger, Curator, with Alexis L. Silva, Curatorial Assistant.

Individual support for the Frye's installation provided by Dr. Vittorio Gallo. Generous additional support provided by ArtsFund and Frye Members. Media sponsorship by The Seattle Times.

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Hayv Kahraman. Look Me in the Eyes, No. 1 (detail), 2023. Oil and acrylic on linen. 37 x 37 in. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York; Pilar Corrias, London; The Third Line, Dubai; and Vielmetter Los Angeles. Photo: Courtesy Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. Glen Cheriton, Impart Photography

Hayv Kahraman. From left: Sizar, 2023/2024. Audio recording (21:33 min.), metal, mylar, silicon carbide. Lip Plants, 2023. Oil and acrylic on linen. Courtesy of the artist; Pilar Corrias, London; Jack Shainman Gallery, New York; Vielmetter Los Angeles; and The Third Line, Dubai. Installation view from Hayv Kahraman: Look Me in the Eyes, Frye Art Museum, Seattle, October 5, 2024–February 2, 2025. Photo: Jueqian Fang

Hayv Kahraman. 3eoon (detail), 2023. Watercolor and gouache on flax fiber. 19 x 16 in. Courtesy of the artist; Jack Shainman Gallery, New York; Pilar Corrias, London; The Third Line, Dubai; and Vielmetter Los Angeles. Photo: Courtesy Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. Glen Cheriton, Impart Photography 

Installation view of Hayv Kahraman: Look Me in the Eyes, Frye Art Museum, Seattle, October 5, 2024–February 2, 2025. Photo: Jueqian Fang

Hayv Kahraman. Love Me Love Me Not, 2023. Oil and acrylic on linen. 80 x 100 in. Courtesy of Jeffrey N. Dauber and Marc A. Levin. Photo: Courtesy Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. Glen Cheriton, Impart Photography 

Hayv Kahraman. Love Me Love Me Not (detail), 2023. Oil and acrylic on linen. 80 x 100 in. Courtesy of Jeffrey N. Dauber and Marc A. Levin. Photo: Courtesy Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. Glen Cheriton, Impart Photography

Installation view of Hayv Kahraman: Look Me in the Eyes, Frye Art Museum, Seattle, October 5, 2024–February 2, 2025. Photo: Jueqian Fang

Hayv Kahraman. Brick Palm 1 (detail), 2023. Oil and acrylic on brick. 40 x 40 in. Courtesy of the artist; Jack Shainman Gallery, New York; Pilar Corrias, London; The Third Line, Dubai; and Vielmetter Los Angeles. Photo: Courtesy Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. Glen Cheriton, Impart Photography

Hayv Kahraman. Weedwreath (detail), 2023. Oil and acrylic on linen. 50 x 100 in. Courtesy of the artist; Pilar Corrias, London; Jack Shainman Gallery, New York; The Third Line, Dubai; and Vielmetter Los Angeles. Photo: Evan Bedford

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