Iraqi-American painter Vian Sora’s work finds the beauty in decay

Iraqi-American painter Vian Sora’s work finds the beauty in decay
Vian Sora Traverses, 2022, mixed media on canvas 48 x 60 in (121.9 x 152.4 cm). (Supplied)
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Updated 27 January 2023

Iraqi-American painter Vian Sora’s work finds the beauty in decay

Iraqi-American painter Vian Sora’s work finds the beauty in decay

DUBAI: March 2023 will mark the 20th anniversary of US-led invasion of Iraq, which led to destruction, displacement, and prolonged political instability. One of the millions who witnessed the chaos unfold is the Iraqi-American painter Vian Sora. “There is nothing that I don’t remember,” she says from her atelier in Louisville, Kentucky. 

On the night before the bombing began, Sora, who is of Kurdish origin, drove with her family from Baghdad to the town of Balad Ruz, around 120 kilometers away. “It was so visceral and scary,” she tells Arab News. “We all lived in just one house there — 30 of us slept in one room. We watched the B-52’s bomb Baghdad.”




Vian Sora, Hanging Gardens, 2022. Oil and mixed media on canvas 70 x 55 in (177.8 x 139.7 cm). (Supplied)

Sora was born in Baghdad in 1976, three years before Saddam Hussein came to power in Iraq, changing the course of political affairs in the Middle East. “Really, ever since I was a child, there was war and bombing,” she says.

Amid all the unrest, however, Sora discovered a passion for art. Her mother’s family owned a prominent auction business in Baghdad, where modernists like Faiq Hassan and Shakir Hassan Al-Said gathered, and Sora says she read as much as possible growing up about the Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, in particular. “This was what (was) around,” she recalls. “I grew up in this kind of dreamy world that was parallel to the bombing.” 




Sora is of Kurdish origins. (Supplied)

In 2006, Sora left Iraq through the Kurdish/Turkish border, ending up in Istanbul. From there, she moved to the UK, the UAE and finally, the US, where she arrived in 2009. She hasn’t been back to Iraq since leaving, and says it was not an easy transition to life in the country that had invaded her own. 

“It was a culture shock. I felt like I always had to dumb down who I am to be accepted, but I also met some amazing people who supported me and my practice,” she says. “They were so hungry to learn more about us. I feel like I don’t just represent Iraq, I represent the whole region.” 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Vian Sora (@viansora)

The experience of surviving “29 years of war” has definitely seeped into Sora’s expressive canvases, housed in private and public collections in Iraq, the US, France, and Turkey. “Iraq affects everything in my work; it’s my DNA,” she says. “Once you’ve lived through the first three decades of your life in a country like Iraq, witnessing four or five wars, that cannot leave you.” 

The self-taught artist tries to leave that which she has endured in the background, like “a dead grandmother who protects you,” she says. Her work is inspired by both her own life and by global issues such as climate change and cultural destruction. She quotes what the German artist Anselm Kiefer once said about the role of an artist: To observe and do the work. 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Vian Sora (@viansora)

She describes her large paintings, inspired by Middle Eastern history and aesthetics, as a form of ‘gestural abstraction.’ They are full of rich colors, floating shapes, dreamlike landscapes, and curious figures. There are portrayals of chaos, explosions, life and death — and of the moment after death, reaching the sublime. Decay, and seeing the beauty in it, is Sora’s obsession. 

“It’s an equivalent of my own life,” she says. “I feel like, the older we get, the more refined we’re supposed to be. I feel the decay that has happened within me is equivalent to the physical decay I see in artworks and palaces. We persevere through certain things, or we fail. We might be destroyed in the process, and that’s what interests me.”    

The physical act of painting is a way of staying whole. “I come to the studio super-early in the morning, shut the world off and put on my music. I’m immersed in that moment. It’s the best feeling,” she says. It is also a way of dealing with her post-traumatic stress disorder, caused by escaping near-death experiences. 

“The only way to get it out of me somehow, or to work with this, is to continuously repeat that feeling,” she explains. “In the end, I don’t want the work to be about death or terribleness. It will be, somehow, but I also want to create elements of beauty.” 


Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad creates custom look for Taylor Swift on Eras Tour

Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad creates custom look for Taylor Swift on Eras Tour
Updated 20 March 2023

Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad creates custom look for Taylor Swift on Eras Tour

Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad creates custom look for Taylor Swift on Eras Tour

DUBAI: US pop superstar Taylor Swift showed off a glittering ballgown by Lebanese couturier Zuhair Murad during a tour concert in Glendale, Arizona, this week.

The Grammy-winning singer donned a custom-made gown by Murad in a peachy hue with starburst sequin work across the length of the creation.

“@TaylorSwift wore for her Night 2 of The Eras Tour a custom #ZMCouture pink tulle ball gown, with a starburst bodice and cross strap back (sic),” the fashion house posted on Instagram, referring to the look that was styled by Joseph Cassell Falconer.

Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” kicked off on Friday night in Glendale. She performed a three-hour show that ran through hits from every era of her 17-year career and followed it up with a second show in the city.


Boucheron celebrates the Middle East in new campaign starring Saudi actress Mila Al-Zahrani

Boucheron celebrates the Middle East in new campaign starring Saudi actress Mila Al-Zahrani
Updated 20 March 2023

Boucheron celebrates the Middle East in new campaign starring Saudi actress Mila Al-Zahrani

Boucheron celebrates the Middle East in new campaign starring Saudi actress Mila Al-Zahrani

DUBAI: Luxury French jewelry label Boucheron has released a new campaign celebrating the Middle East featuring its regional ambassador, Saudi actress Mila Al-Zahrani. 

The “Invent The Future, Honour The Past” campaign features three short clips, as well as a series of photographs, that pay tribute to the region’s roots, progress and future. 

The first episode of the series, “Roots,” features Al-Zahrani and a mother figure, portraying the bond between mother and child. In the clip and the images, both women wear the brand’s Serpent Bohème jewellery. 

Created in 1968, Serpent Bohème was the first of Boucheron’s iconic collections. It is reimagined yearly and the new campaign sees Al-Zahrani show off the newest white gold Serpent Bohème Solarité earrings paved with diamonds. 

“Evolution,” the second episode in the campaign, features the Saudi actress and a sister figure.  The two women wear jewels from the Quatre collection. 

Finally, the third video, “Future,” transports viewers to a modern metropolis where Al-Zahrani is seen wearing pieces from the new Quatre Double White Edition. 

Frédéric Boucheron founded the label in 1858 and it has grown from its traditional home on Place Vendôme in Paris to more than 85 boutiques worldwide.  

Riyadh-born actress Al-Zahrani was unveiled as the label’s Middle East ambassador in November 2022. 

The announcement was made at a Boucheron brand experience in Riyadh in November, titled “La Maison,” which was hosted to showcase their Carte Blanche Ailleurs High Jewelry collection for the first time in the Middle East.  

The collection was first presented during Paris Haute Couture week in July. 

“The Middle East is a historic and crucial region for Boucheron from a business standpoint, as it still holds tremendous potential,” said Helene Poulit-Duquesne, CEO of Boucheron, in a released statement at the time.  

“In Saudi Arabia, as in the rest of the region, we operate at the very top of the market, selling to highly educated and savvy collectors. This is something I am proud of, which is why Boucheron returned to Riyadh to host the second edition of our ‘La Maison’ event,” she added. 


‘Put it on your must-see list,’ Oprah Winfrey says after Jordan visit

‘Put it on your must-see list,’ Oprah Winfrey says after Jordan visit
Updated 20 March 2023

‘Put it on your must-see list,’ Oprah Winfrey says after Jordan visit

‘Put it on your must-see list,’ Oprah Winfrey says after Jordan visit

DUBAI: US TV personality Oprah Winfrey explored Jordan with US TV show host Gayle King this week and the former took to Instagram to encourage her followers to visit the Middle Eastern country.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Oprah (@oprah)

“Put it on your must-see list if you haven’t already” Winfrey posted on Instagram on Sunday about her recent trip to Jordan’s “Rose City,” Petra.

The show host shared a carousel of photos in which she can be seen riding a camel in Petra and visiting religious sites in the country.

“Visited Jordan this week and there was so much to see and experience! We visited the site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus, Petra and all its fascinations, camels, and the spot where the big boulder comes rolling out of Indiana Jones. So much history there in the ‘Rose City,’ voted one of the 7 new wonders of the world. It takes 3 days to really see it all we only spent 3 hours. Put it on your must see list if you haven’t already!” she posted on Instagram.


Dior reveals design details about Princess Iman of Jordan’s wedding dress

Dior reveals design details about Princess Iman of Jordan’s wedding dress
Updated 20 March 2023

Dior reveals design details about Princess Iman of Jordan’s wedding dress

Dior reveals design details about Princess Iman of Jordan’s wedding dress

DUBAI: French fashion house Dior has shared details about Princess Iman bint Abdullah II of Jordan’s wedding gown, which she wore as she wed Jameel Alexander Thermiotis in a ceremony in Amman’s Beit Al-Urdon Palace last week.

Princess Iman, 26, opted for a traditional white wedding dress with a sheer lace panel at the neckline, lace-cuffed sleeves and a flowing skirt. The bridal look was completed with a matching veil and tiara by Chaumet.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Dior Official (@dior)

“Take an exclusive look into the #DiorSavoirFaire behind the wedding dress specially designed by @MariaGraziaChiuri for Jordan’s princess, H.R.H. Princess Iman. The gown is imbued with beloved codes of the House like flourishes of florals on the lace neckline and sleeves,” the label posted on Instagram on Sunday.

Dior added that the elegant gown featured floral details and intricate lace work.

“For Jordan’s Princess Iman, @MariaGraziaChiuri incorporated delicate floral details into the collar and sleeves of her sleek wedding dress. Contemporary yet timeless, the white gown is adorned with immaculate lace work and precise tailoring as a testament to the refined excellence of the House’s atelier. The glowing bride beautifully embodied the irresistibly feminine silhouette for her special day,” Dior said.

Italian fashion designer Maria Grazia Chiuri was named the creative director of Dior in 2016, after stints working at Fendi and Valentino.


Travis Scott, Calvin Harris hit the Formula 1 stage in Jeddah

Travis Scott, Calvin Harris hit the Formula 1 stage in Jeddah
Updated 20 March 2023

Travis Scott, Calvin Harris hit the Formula 1 stage in Jeddah

Travis Scott, Calvin Harris hit the Formula 1 stage in Jeddah

JEDDAH: US rapper Travis Scott and Scottish DJ Calvin Harris took to the stage at MDLBEAST’s after-race concert at the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah on Sunday night, just after  Egyptian star Ahmed Saad performed a number of his hits.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by MDLBEAST (@mdlbeast)

Harris performed a number of his chart-topping hits, including “Feels So Close” and “This Is What You Came For,” which features vocals by US singer Rihanna.

Travis Scott got the audience jumping to such crowd-pleasers as “Goosebumps” and “Sicko Mode.”

Travis Scott performed in Jeddah. (Supplied)

US singer Charlie Puth and supergroup Swedish House Mafia performed at the event on Saturday night.

“Light Switch” singer Puth took to the stage with a number of hits from his stellar repertoire — including “One Call Away” — as members of the packed-out crowd held up banners calling for the star’s attention — a play on his chart-topping song “Attention.”

Meanwhile, “Don’t You Worry Child” EDM artists Swedish House Mafia had the crowd bouncing to their anthemic dance music.