• 
  1/10
  Sura 21b, 2010
• 
  2/10
  Sura 105-106, 2008
• 
  3/10
  Sura 50, 2009
• 
  4/10
  Sura 60, 2010
• 
  5/10
  Sura 95-96, 2008
• 
  6/10
  Sura 84, 2009
• 
  7/10
  Sura 101-104, 2008
• 
  8/10
  Sura 44a, 2003
• 
  9/10
  Sura 92-93, 2008
• 
  10/10
  Sura 20b, 2011

In response to a decade of travel to various Islamic regions of the world and his own research into Islamic religion, American artist Sandow Birk created a large series of codex–like paintings adapting the techniques and stylistic devices of Arabic and Persian painting and albums, blending the past with the present, the East with the West, creating his “American Qur’an”.

Unlike the Gospels of the New Testament – which relate narratives of Jesus’ ministry on earth – the Holy Qur’an is believed to be the verbatim words of God as communicated through the angel Gabriel to Muhammad in the 7th Century CE. Collected together and grouped generally according to length (rather than chronologically), the 114 chapters (“suras”) form a collection of sermon-like “revelations” that are the fundamental text of Islam.

Presented in the form of illuminated verses and using an English translation of the Qur’an in hand rendered text that is an amalgam of Islamic calligraphy and the letters of urban graffiti that he finds around his Los Angeles neighborhood, Birk illuminates the verses with scenes from contemporary American experiences, both at home and abroad. The project, when finished, will illustrate the entire 114 suras of the Qur’an, 83 of which are represented in this exhibition.

At a time when the United States is involved in wars against Islamic nations and declares itself to be in a cultural and philosophical struggle against Islamic extremists, Birk is recreating the Qur’an in his own hand and illustrating it with everyday scenes as a way to reflect on Islam within the context of American culture, and is inviting viewers to do the same.

View Marketing Booklet (PDF)

Number of Works: 84

Frame Sizes: (83) 19 x 27 inches; (1) 58 x 35 inches

Space Requirements: 400 linear feet (122 linear meters)

Tour Dates: Spring 2012 - Winter 2016

Participation Fee: Medium ($10,000 - $20,000)

REVIEWS AND NEWS

The Des Moines Register, Michael Morain, February 10, 2012
The Stanford Daily, Marwa Farag, January 24, 2012
The San Francisco Weekly, Jonathan Curiel, May 18, 2011
The Pittburgh Post-Gazette, Mary Thomas, April 13, 2011
The Pittburgh Tribune, Kurt Shaw, April 3, 2011
The Pitt News, Skylar Wilcox, March 15, 2011
Flavorwire, Paul Laster, September 30, 2010
New York Times, Holland Cotter, September 17, 2010
TheExaminer.com, Angie El Sherif, November 18, 2009
The Oregonian, D.K. Row, November 5, 2009
The Brooklyn Rail, Tessa DeCarlo, November 2009
San Francisco Chronicle, Gillian Flaccus, October 14, 2009
CNN, Moni Basu, October 12, 2009
New York Times, Jori Finkel, August 28, 2009
Los Angeles Times, Sharon Mizota, August 23, 2009