The Third Line is hosting House of Pearls, a solo exhibition by Iraqi-American artist Vian Sora that presents her newest paintings and works on paper. This collection uses pearls as a metaphor for stability and the structural harmony essential for life’s renewal. The show will be open to the public until 5 December 2024.
In this series, Sora delves into the cyclical forces of nature, capturing the often violent states that give rise to pearls, and explores the importance of connection as a cornerstone of humanity’s collective consciousness. Influenced by her experiences as a refugee, Sora contemplates the uncertainty and ever-changing boundaries of existence, expressing the physical and mental toll experienced across cultures and time. Her paintings examine the complexity of identity, seeking cohesion akin to the layers of a pearl.
Sora starts her creative process with laying canvases flat before she transitions them upright. Initially employing a limited palette of three colors, she gradually introduces up to 20 hues through intricate layering, with some pieces comprising as many as 50 layers. This method strikes a balance between spontaneity and control, illustrating the tension between chaos and order.
The resulting works feature imagined landscapes and oceanic scenes, enhanced by distorted Arabic calligraphy and bold bright colors, exuding a pearl-like luminosity. They reflect the vulnerability and resilience of the displaced, portraying personal and collective traumas alongside enduring struggles.
About the artist
Vian Sora (b. 1976, Baghdad, Iraq) fled her home country in 2006 due to war. She moved to Turkey and then settled in Louisville (Kentucky, USA) in 2009, where she still resides. Sora obtained a BS from Al Mansour University in Baghdad (2000) and studied printmaking at the Istanbul Museum of Graphic Art (IMOGA) in Turkey in 2007. In 2012, she received an MBA from Bellarmine University in Louisville.
Primarily using oils, Sora integrates mixed media and engraving techniques to create textured, 3D surfaces. Her work revolves around themes of migration, displacement, and concepts of home and belonging. Charged with emotional complexity and vitality, it reflects her journey to overcome the collective trauma of violence and destruction. While her canvases often begin with dynamic sprays of paint and pigments, Sora imposes order to form balanced, meaningful compositions. Her abstract art pieces, upon closer inspection, reveal hidden figures and suggest landscapes imbued with a sense of hope.
Sora’s work has been exhibited in multiple shows, including Rounding the Circle: The Mary and Alfred Shands Collection (Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY, 2023); Subduction (solo) (Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 2022); KMAC TRIENNIAL (KMAC Museum, Louisville, KY, 2019); Escape into Life (solo) (US Chamber of Commerce, Washington D.C., USA, 2011); Spring Show (Total Arts Gallery at the Courtyard, Dubai, 2009); and Selected works by four artists (Aspen Gallery, Kuwait City, Kuwait, 2008), and many others.
The artist’s accolades include the Joan Mitchell Foundation Nominee Painter and Sculpture Award (2018-2020) and the Great Meadows Foundation Artist Traveling Grant (2017-2019), among others. Her artworks have been acquired by numerous public collections, such as the Museum of Art (Baltimore, MD, USA), Dar Al Cid Museum (Kuwait City, Kuwait), French Embassy (Baghdad), and Kadim al Sahir Paris (France), to name a few.
To get more information about House of Pearls, please go to the official web page of the show.
In addition, you might be interested in viewing Fragility and Resilience by Bangladeshi artist Ayesha Sultana and Molding Anew by Iraqi artist Rand Abdul Jabbar. We would also recommend that you attend Between the Tides: A Gulf Quinquennial, a group exhibition at the NYUAD Art Gallery.
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