Vian Sora's 'Tepe Gawra' Exhibition at Bortolami Explores Lapis Lazuli and Memory
Bortolami presents Vian Sora's first solo exhibition, 'Tepe Gawra,' from March 6 to April 18, 2026, at 39 Walker, New York. The show features new paintings exploring color, memory, and material transformation, marking her first new work since her museum survey opened last year. Sora, born in Baghdad and based in Louisville, creates non-representational paintings using acrylic pours and oil paint. The title references the ancient Mesopotamian site Tepe Gawra, which she visited as a student. Notable works include 'Tigris refrain,' 'Streams of lazouli,' 'Scarlet,' and 'Tamarisk (Purification).' Sora's work has gained attention, with her survey 'Outerworlds' debuting in June 2025 and traveling to multiple venues.
Key facts
- Vian Sora's first solo exhibition at Bortolami runs from March 6 to April 18, 2026, at 39 Walker in New York.
- The exhibition title 'Tepe Gawra' refers to an ancient Mesopotamian settlement in Iraq that Sora visited as a student.
- Lapis lazuli, used in objects from Tepe Gawra dating to 4900–4000 BCE, is a central motif in the paintings.
- Sora's process involves acrylic pours built in layers, followed by oil paint in forms recalling cuneiform or Arabic calligraphy.
- Specific paintings include 'Tigris refrain,' 'Streams of lazouli,' 'Scarlet,' and the twelve-foot-long 'Tamarisk (Purification).'
- Sora's traveling museum survey 'Outerworlds' debuted at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in June 2025 and will travel to Houston in April 2026.
- Sora was born in Baghdad and is now based in Louisville, Kentucky.
- Her work is in collections such as the Speed Art Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art, and Ministry of Culture Contemporary Collection in Baghdad.
Entities
Artists
- Vian Sora
- Giotto
- Piero della Francesca
- Xu
Institutions
- Bortolami
- Santa Barbara Museum of Art
- Speed Art Museum
- Asia Society Texas Center
- Sharjah Biennial
- Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati
- IMOGA Istanbul Museum of Graphic Art
- KMAC Triennial
- Grinnell Museum of Art
- Baltimore Museum of Art
- MCA San Diego
- Ministry of Culture Contemporary Collection in Baghdad
- Contemporary Art Issue
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Baghdad
- Iraq
- Louisville
- Umbria
- Italy
- Afghanistan
- Venice
- Houston
- Texas
- Cincinnati
- Ohio
- Istanbul
- Turkey
- San Diego
- California