"Expatriation and exile fracture forever any sense of belonging and any hope of ever being complete," wrote curator Octavio Zaya in his statement for Hayv Kahraman's solo show at Jack Shainman Gallery in New York, "How Iraqi Are You?" Kahraman's autobiographical paintings on linen ruminate on her early childhood in Iraq, her upbringing as a refugee in Sweden, and her struggle of navigating two disparate cultural identities.
Titus Kaphar appropriates the visual language of American and European history painting and in doing so, takes the Eurocentric view of world history to task while illuminating injustice. The New York-based artist currently has two solo shows on view at Jack Shainman Gallery's separate locations in Manhattan. His dual exhibition touches upon the human rights abuses of the colonial era as well as the current fight for racial equality in the US. Haunting yet visually alluring, Kaphar's work tells stories of the African diaspora through imagery with a visceral, emotional impact.