Vian Sora: Sky from Below
7 March – 3 May 2025
David Nolan Gallery
24 East 81 Street, New York

Ahead of her traveling museum solo show opening at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in late-June then stopping at the Speed Art Museum and others, Vian Sora (b. 1976, Baghdad; based in Louisville, Kentucky since 2009) will present a suite of all-new paintings at her New York gallery David Nolan (located a block from the Met). Central to Sora's work are themes of war, political upheaval, migration, and subsequent geographic and cultural displacement.

The idea for the series on view in Sky from Below began when the artist – who grew up in political turmoil, under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein – returned to the Middle East recently for a solo show in Dubai and flew over her homeland, Iraq. After 18 years away, she could still recognize traces of familiarity within a landscape that has significantly changed. The title, 'Sky from Below', refers to her childhood looking up at the sky - both innocently and because of fighter planes. The series approaches the feeling of identity loss by creating an 'opposite world' of lush environments and landscapes.

"The work ties into the current political climate in responding to the high level of polarization around the world," said Sora. "It also responds to the shock and awe many feel toward current politics. It’s an exciting moment to create art and be in conversation with other artists responding to our era as times like these are when some of the best work is created. There is a wave of change in the world that is challenging, but artists have always been ahead in understanding what’s going on. These works create immersive experiences where you’re struck by the colors and by the balance of hope with histories of turmoil. I hope people will reflect on and be challenged by that."

Sky from Below precedes Sora’s solo museum exhibition, Vian Sora: Outerworlds, comprising around 20 paintings with the following stops:

Santa Barbara Museum of Art: 22 June - 7 September 2025
Speed Art Museum (Louisville, KY): 10 October 2025 - 18 January 2026
Asia Society Texas (Houston): 2 April - 5 July 2026

More information is in the above-linked press release, and a preview of works on view is below. See the Dropbox folder linked above to download high-resolution image files. Artwork information is in each image’s file title. Image reuse must be credited as “courtesy of David Nolan Gallery and copyright of the artist”, unless otherwise noted in the file title.