David Nolan Gallery is pleased to present Noosphere, a new series of paintings by Vian Sora at Independent New York, on May 9-12, 2024.
The noosphere, a philosophical concept often summed up as the “thinking layer of earth,” or the “sphere of reason,” represents the highest level of evolution, that of humankind’s rational activities in pursuit of a unified consciousness. As Sora’s paintings reimagine our collective journey towards growth and transcendence, her works are particularly urgent within today’s landscape unsettled by violence, political extremism and the looming destruction of our natural environment, each unresolved due to differences amongst humans. The paintings contrast beauty and brutality, chaos and control to symbolize rebirth and growth within a metaphorical detritus, the elemental conditions for our imperiled evolution.
Vian Sora (b. 1976, Baghdad, Iraq) has lived and worked in Louisville, KY since 2009. She received a BS from Al Mansour University in Baghdad, Iraq in 2000 and studied printmaking at the Istanbul Museum of Graphic Art in Istanbul, Turkey in 2007. Sora’s work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally including the Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY; Contemporary Arts Center (CAC), Cincinnati, OH; Sharjah Biennale, Sharjah, UAE; Imoga Istan-bul Museum of Graphic Art, Istanbul, Turkey; Japanese Foundation Culture Center, Ankara, Turkey; and the Baghdad Art International Art Festival in Iraq; as well as the KMAC Triennial, Louisville, KY; Grinnell Museum of Art, Grinnell, IA; and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington D.C., among others. Commencing in 2025, Sora will have a travelling solo museum show at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Speed Art Museum, and the Asia Society of Houston, TX.
Sora's work is included in the collections of the Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD; Dar El Cid Museum, Kuwait City, Kuwait; KMAC Museum, Louisville, KY; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA; Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY; Grinnell College Museum of Art, Grinnell, IA; Ministry of Culture Contemporary Collection, Baghdad, Iraq; the Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, OH; Fidelity Art Collection, Boston, MA, as well as numerous private collections.
