Iraqi-American Painter Vian Sora Captures the Garden of Eden and Long-Lost Assyria

While chaos fuels Vian Sora's creative process initially, order emerges through patience and deliberation. The Iraqi-born artist, now based in Kentucky, explained her process standing inside her debut solo exhibition "End of Hostilities" at Manhattan's David Nolan Gallery.

Hanging on the gallery walls were Sora's vividly colored canvases, splattered and marked with exuberant veils of green, pink, yellow, and bright blue. At first, the abstract works appear chaotic. But with focused observation, delicate forms gradually emerge from the lively bursts of color—birds, ships, lush wetlands. Through meticulous refinement, Sora transforms disorder into beautifully rendered visions.

"End of Hostilities" features Vian Sora's recent paintings and works on paper made chiefly over the past year. The exhibition encapsulates both her dynamic creative process and narrative interests. Her works operate on dual levels, expressing passion while demanding rigorous precision. She intuitively applies spray paint, acrylics, and pigment inks in vigorous splashes and flows. Manipulating these materials with whatever is near—sponges, brushes, spray bottles, even breath—she builds layered "palimpsests" of color. Later, she studiously incises into the hidden layers, imbuing the pieces with an archeological intrigue. Often initiating five or six works simultaneously, each piece can take many months to bring to fruition. Together the collection demonstrates Sora's balance of spontaneity and meticulous refinement.

"End of Hostilities" signifies a pivotal point in Vian Sora's artistic journey. The 47-year-old painter, born in Baghdad to a Kurdish family, experienced significant transience as an adult, living in Baghdad, Istanbul, Dubai, and London, and eventually settling with her husband in Louisville, Kentucky.

This showcase at David Nolan Gallery marks her much-anticipated first solo New York exhibition the commencement of her relationship with the prestigious gallery. Later this month, Sora will debut another solo showing at The Third Line Gallery in Dubai, a city she fondly calls a homecoming. These exhibitions demonstrate Sora's immense artistic accomplishments after enduring years of displacement and nomadic living. They firmly established her emerging prominence on the international stage.

The works often reveal deeply personal narratives, grounded in both the tragedies and beauties of Iraqi culture as well as obscured histories shaped by war. In one painting, Verdict, an abstracted figure resembling a British judge in a powdered wig looms prominently, presiding over huddled forms. For Sora, it hints at dislocation and her constant efforts to secure documents ensuring safety, with fate ultimately in officials' hands. Through intimate works, she resurrects complex histories while processing personal hardship endured as a witness to war's aftermath in her homeland.

Beyond conflicts' harsh realities, Sora's deeply colorful works in the gallery encompass much more. Upon closer inspection, viewers can glimpse birds, centaurs, and fertile landscapes subtly woven into the landscapes. These joyous, sensory images hold abundant historical and cross-cultural influences. Sora fondly recalls her childhood amidst the roses and pomegranate bushes of her grandmother's garden in Baghdad. Works like Oasis IV and Eden possess an undeniable magnificence. Recapturing moments of beauty from her past, Sora demonstrates how creation can emerge even from destruction. Her rich visions suggest hope that nature's resilience and humanity's capacity for delight may yet survive hardship. Looking at Eden in particular, one senses a splendor transcending all life confronts.