Hande Sever

Hande Sever is a writer and research-based artist whose work explores the excavation of lost texts and distant images, examining how their omission and dissemination inform historical revisionism and shape archival practices. Grounded in theories of sovereignty and necropolitics, her research investigates how historical narratives are constructed and manipulated, particularly in the context of military violence, surveillance, and censorship. Often drawing from her family’s history of persecution, her lens-based practice explores the intersection of personal and collective memory, uncovering how visual culture is used to both erase and construct historical narratives.

Her work has been exhibited internationally at institutions including Hauser & Wirth Somerset (2018); the Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Vienna (2021); Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin (2025); Wereldmuseum, Amsterdam (2025); Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, Seoul (2021); REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater), Los Angeles (2025); and the Wende Museum of the Cold War, Culver City (2025), among others. Sever’s practice has been supported by grants from the Félix González-Torres Foundation, California Arts Council, Eidolon Center for Everyday Photography, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the Hrant Dink Foundation.