High-powered and psychologically charged, Sora's prismatic abstractions convey the entwined ancient and modern histories of Iraq and the Western world

Published with Speed Art Museum.

This volume is a mid-career survey of the practice of Iraqi American painter Vian Sora (born 1976). This catalog highlights approximately 20 of Sora's major works, charting her artistic growth over a period of seven years (2016-23). Documenting Sora's first solo museum exhibition in the United States, Outerworlds tells how her multivalent paintings abstractly channel the tumultuous events of her life, ancient Mesopotamian history, Western art history and Iraq's diverse landscapes, including its deserts, rivers and archeological sites. This volume features text by exhibition co-curator Owen Duffy, an interview with the artist by exhibition co-curator Tyler Blackwell and an essay exploring art historical intersections within the artist's practice--along with new photography of the artist's vibrant, multicolored abstractions.