Sandow Birk

About This Project

Sandow Birk was born in Los Angeles (USA) and holds a bachelor’s degree from Otis/Parson’s Art Institute. His work focuses on contemporary life with special emphasis on social issues, the city, graffiti, political debate, wars, and travel. Surfing and skating have been recurrent themes in his work. He did commissioned work in Mexico City studying mural paintings, was a Guggenheim Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar painting in Rio de Janeiro. In 1999 he was awarded a Gretty scholarship for painting, having also been awarded a grant from the City of Los Angeles (COLA) in 2001. In 2007 he was a resident artist at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington and in 2008 at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. His most recent project is a reflection on the Qur’an illustrated with scenes from contemporary American life. Sandow is managed by the Koplin del Rio Gallery in Los Angeles, the Catharine Clark Gallery Gallery in San Francisco, and the P.P.O.W Gallery in New York.

Cover Photo: © Elyse Pignolet