The Qur'an at the Warhol

I don't get out much, but I did get to the Warhol Museum last night for a preview of a new special exhibition:  "The Word of God: Sandow Birk's American Qur'an."

From the museum's website:

For five years Sandow Birk has been creating his epic body of work American Qur’an. In this ongoing series, Birk employs traditional Islamic calligraphy and painting techniques to illustrate the entire 114 Suras of the Qur'an. Using ink, gouache and a hand-lettered “font” based on graffiti tagging, he illuminates the verses with relevant scenes from contemporary American life. A selection of these Suras will be on view.  This exhibition is the first in an ongoing series titled TheWord of God, which will examine major religious texts through the lens of contemporary art.

The exhibition tour is organized by Forma Projects: 21, Venice, California.

Highly, highly recommended.