Hayv Kahraman's latest solo show, "Ghost Fires," at Jack Shainman Gallery in New York City features paintings of women with smoke rising from their fingertips and pupil-less eyes, using scorched textures and marbled pigments. The body of work is her first since the January wildfires in Los Angeles displaced her and her family from their Altadena home, and it explores trauma, memory, and healing without directly depicting flames.
This exhibition matters because it connects personal catastrophe to broader themes of displacement and psychological recovery, showing how an artist processes devastation through her practice. Kahraman, who fled Iraq during the Gulf War as a child, draws parallels between the wildfires and wartime trauma, making the show a poignant commentary on how past and present crises intertwine. It also highlights the therapeutic role of art-making in overcoming severe depression and PTSD.