End of Hostilities by Vian Sora is currently on view in the KMAC Triennial. It is a large two-panel oil painting containing elements of Sora's distinctive mode of expressive abstraction. The work is informed by her personal history of growing up in Baghdad, Iraq and her experiences living through the Iraq War. Alongside End of Hostilities, KMAC is currently exhibiting Last Sound and Verdict, courtesy the artist.
Vian Sora was born and grew up in Baghdad, Iraq and moved to Louisville in 2009. Sora started painting as a child and prides herself on being self-taught, preferring a “rule-free” atmosphere and mindset. She uses expressive abstraction as a means to convey the trauma of her time living in and fleeing from her home in war-torn Iraq. Curator, Joey Yates states:
The foundations of her paintings are charged with dark stains and clashing surface textures, which she often disrupts with vibrant paths of color that weave throughout the compositions, signifying her journey to find harmony within the chaotic experiences of her past. The figures and faces that sometimes emerge in her frenzied arrangements are references to the bodies, collective and individual, who have been implicated in the ongoing hostilities that besiege her home country.
Vian’s technique is modeled after the ancient Mesopotamian art of mural painting by engraving on the canvas. She uses oils, aging materials, and dyes to create leather-like textures. The pieces are then decorated with ornate patterns in gold and shades of blue and green, inspired by colors in nature. Sora uses specific colors and techniques that will alter over decades of time, mirroring the remains of ancient cities and cities torn apart by war, but also preserving their beauty.
Artist Fun Fact: Instead of attending college for any formal art training, Vian’s degree is in computer science.
Vian Sora
End of Hostilities, 2019
Purchased by KMAC in 2019
References
Introduction. viansora.com. Retreived September 25, 2019.
Joey Yates. Curator, KMAC Museum.
Vian Sora, Iraqi-American Arist: FACES of Louisville. Julie Engelhardt. Style Blueprint. Retreived September 25, 2019.