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.” 


SeaWorld Abu Dhabi to open on May 23

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi to open on May 23
Updated 22 March 2023

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi to open on May 23

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi to open on May 23
  • Marine-life theme park will host 150 species
  • Spaces were built to recreate the way sea animals would live in natural habitat

DUBAI: Property developer Miral announced on Tuesday that SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, a next-generation marine-life theme park on Yas Island, is set to open on May 23, Emirates News reported. 

The marine-life theme park will feature the region’s largest multi-species aquarium, with more than 58 million liters of water and 150 species, including sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. It will be constructed on five indoor levels with a total area of about 183,000 sq m. 

The theme park will offer up-close animal encounters, rides, and dining and shopping opportunities across eight themed guest environments. Meanwhile, the development also includes the UAE’s first dedicated marine research, rescue, rehabilitation and return center. 

“As part of our commitment to the Year of Sustainability, the marine life park will embed Sheikh Zayed’s legacy and profound respect for nature and all its beauty, as well as play a key role in promoting environmental awareness and protecting marine life in Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the wider region,” said Miral Chairman Mohamed Khalifa Al-Mubarak. 

“Through its innovative programs and its state-of-the-art facilities, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi aims to inspire the next generation of conservationists and marine life scientists while fostering a deeper appreciation for the natural world,” Al-Mubarak said 

The theme park was built to allow marine creatures to live in dynamic habitats alongside other fish, birds and animals as they would in nature, WAM reported. Spaces have also been designed to mimic social seasonal patterns for animals and provide the health benefits of full spectrum light.


Emirati singer Balqees Fathi named a Maison Valentino ‘Di.Va.’ 

Emirati singer Balqees Fathi named a Maison Valentino ‘Di.Va.’ 
Updated 21 March 2023

Emirati singer Balqees Fathi named a Maison Valentino ‘Di.Va.’ 

Emirati singer Balqees Fathi named a Maison Valentino ‘Di.Va.’ 

DUBAI: Emirati singer Balqees Fathi has been given the title of Di.Va. by Italian luxury label Maison Valentino.  

Akin to a brand ambassador, creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s chosen Di.Vas personify the labels’ “different values.” 

“The contemporary need to identify, to belong yet feel different, to risk and to feel strength. The modern DI.VA is a complex character of codes, upheld by inner values,” the brand previously explained on Instagram. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Balqees (@balqeesfathi)

 

Fathi took to Instagram to share the news with her 14.9 million followers. “I am proud to announce that I am a @maisonvalentino Di.Va. for the Middle East,” she wrote. “To me, it means being part of a community that shares my same values, and with every Valentino piece I wear, I feel liberated and in unconditional love with myself.” 

Before working with the label, the “Ya Hawa” singer was one of the brand’s loyal clients.  

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Valentino (@maisonvalentino)

 

In July, she tuned heads at the brand’s Fall-Winter Haute Couture show in Rome that was held on the steps of the historic Piazza di Spagna. 

She wore a pink creation from Valentino’s Pink PP Collection by Pierpaolo Piccioli to the show titled “Valentino The Beginning.” 

It was not the first time Fathi was spotted in Valentino. She wore an elegant all-white ensemble from the designer’s Rendez-Vouz collection back in March 2022 — a white silk shirt paired with a blazer and pants set that was an instant hit among fashion lovers on social media.  


Iraqi artist Rand Abdul Jabbar awarded Richard Mille Art Prize at Louvre Abu Dhabi

Iraqi artist Rand Abdul Jabbar awarded Richard Mille Art Prize at Louvre Abu Dhabi
Updated 21 March 2023

Iraqi artist Rand Abdul Jabbar awarded Richard Mille Art Prize at Louvre Abu Dhabi

Iraqi artist Rand Abdul Jabbar awarded Richard Mille Art Prize at Louvre Abu Dhabi

DUBAI: Iraqi artist Rand Abdul Jabbar has been awarded this year’s $60,000 Richard Mille Art Prize in a ceremony held at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The award, held jointly by the museum with Swiss watchmaking brand Richard Mille, was given to the multidisciplinary artist who lives in Abu Dhabi.

The artist won for “Earthly Wonders, Celestial Beings” (2019–ongoing),  which was put on show during the Art Here 2022 exhibition in October.

 “I am grateful to be recognized amongst a group of peers for whom I have deep respect and admiration. The Richard Mille Art Prize represents a significant investment in the growth and development of an artist’s practice, instilling both the capacity and drive to forge ahead in their pursuit. I would like to thank Louvre Abu Dhabi and Richard Mille for their generous support, and acknowledge the esteemed jury for their trust,” Jabbar said in a released statement.

To date, the artist has had her work exhibited at Shubbak Festival (UK), SAVVY Contemporary (Germany), Rabat Biennale (Morocco), Biennale d’Architecture d’Orléans (France), Abu Dhabi Art, Jameel Arts Centre, NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, and Warehouse 421 (UAE).

The museum also revealed the theme for the upcoming third edition of the Richard Mille Art Prize as “Transparency.” Curated by Maya El Khalil, the open call for the upcoming edition will begin on March 30.


Sharon Stone shows off gown by Saudi designer Yousef Akbar at Beverly Hills gala event 

Sharon Stone shows off gown by Saudi designer Yousef Akbar at Beverly Hills gala event 
Updated 21 March 2023

Sharon Stone shows off gown by Saudi designer Yousef Akbar at Beverly Hills gala event 

Sharon Stone shows off gown by Saudi designer Yousef Akbar at Beverly Hills gala event 

DUBAI: Saudi designer Yousef Akbar has added another Hollywood star to his client list —Sharon Stone.  

The Oscar-winning US actress wore an embellished green dress designed by Akbar to the 2023 Women’s Cancer Research Fund Gala this week.  

Her dress, which was clinched at the waist, featured half-satin and half-sparkling fabric with built-in gloves. Stone accessorized her look with a metallic gold clutch.  

The star received the 2023 Courage Award for her support of breast cancer research and dedication to raising awareness for the cause.  

Upon taking the stage, Stone said: “So often things that start with women get overlooked completely, and I am so grateful to stand for something that doesn’t.” 

The event, which took place in the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills, raised over $2 million to benefit the Women’s Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation that is dedicated to ending disease by advancing research across the globe.


‘It will blow your mind,’ US actor Rob Lowe says of Egypt trip

‘It will blow your mind,’ US actor Rob Lowe says of Egypt trip
Updated 21 March 2023

‘It will blow your mind,’ US actor Rob Lowe says of Egypt trip

‘It will blow your mind,’ US actor Rob Lowe says of Egypt trip

DUBAI: US actor Rob Lowe is the latest Hollywood celebrity to visit Egypt.  

The filmmaker and podcast host shared pictures from his trip to the country this week. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Rob Lowe (@roblowe)

“Spent some quality time in this tomb today with the boy king himself! Tutankhamen’s body was only unwrapped last year,” Lowe wrote to his 1.9 million followers, sharing a picture of himself inside the tomb.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Rob Lowe (@roblowe)

He also posed for pictures in front of the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza.  

“Nothing can prepare you for Egypt. No matter how many photos you’ve seen or books you’ve read, it will blow your mind. And the people were amazing,” the actor wrote on Instagram.  

Lowe is not the only celebrity to visit Egypt in recent years. He is joined by John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Kourtney Kardashian, Will Smith, Jason Derulo and more.