In his works, Hiwa K (*1975 in Sulaimaniyya/Iraq, lives and works in Berlin) opens multi-layered perspectives on political struggles and conflicts and geographic sites, as well as his own migrant background. His multi-medial works, which include installations combining drawings, sculptures and videos, draw on existential experiences laced with a multifaceted, narrative-based and anthropological quality.

Neuer Berliner Kunstverein here offers three drawings by Hiwa K from the series Sketch for the object ‘gods wearing pots’, which investigates the relationship between Spanish conquerors and the Incas. In the European narrative of this history, it is repeatedly written that the Incas believed the colonizers were gods who wore pots on their heads. The drawings of Hiwa K point, through hidden, engraved anecdotes, towards the fact that the Incas very quickly recognized the true nature of the occupiers. The drawings Unplugged and What is your political attitude? (2010) arose as an image-based commentary to a call inviting artists of the 7th Berlin Biennale to send in material for their research processes in preparation for the event, and in doing so, to share their political positions.

The works of Hiwa K have most recently been shown at, among others: Kunsthalle Mannheim (2019); New Museum, New York (2018); S.M.A.K. Museum of Contemporary Art, Gent (2018); Kunstverein Hannover (2018); KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2017); De Appel, Amsterdam, (2017); documenta 14, Kassel (2017); Venedig Biennale (2015).