Resume - CV
Education
1981 - 1983 Otis Art Institute of Parson’s School of Design, Los Angeles, CA
1984 - 1985 American College in Paris/Parson’s School of Design, Paris, France
1985 Bath Academy of Art, Bath, England
1986 - 1987 Escola de Artes Visuais Parque Lage + Museo de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1988 BFA (Painting) Otis Art Institute of Parson’s School of Design, L.A., CA
Awards & Residencies
2021 Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Mid-Career Artist Grant
2020 Getty Artists Relief Grant, Los Angeles
2019 Long Beach Arts Council Fellowship
2018 Artist in Residence - Ballinglen Arts Foundation, County Mayo, Ireland
2017 Artist in Residence - Auckland Print Studio, New Zealand
2017 McKinney Visiting Artist - Indiana Univ. Bloomington
2016 Artist in Residence - Ballinglen Arts Foundation, County Mayo, Ireland
2016 Nominated for the Louisville Grawemeyer Award
2015 Lifetime Fellow, Dante Society of America
2014 United States Artists - USA Knight Fellow
2014 Artist in Residence - University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA
2012 Artist in Residence - Alila Villas Soori, Bali, Indonesia
2012 Artist in Residence - Deus Ex Machina, Canggu, Bali, Indonesia
2011 Artist in Residence - Ballinglen Arts Foundation, County Mayo, Ireland
2011 Artist in Residence - Tamarind Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico
2010 Lucas Artist Residency - Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA
2008 Artist in Residence - Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris
2007 Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship, Washington, D.C.
2001 City of Los Angeles (COLA) Individual Artist Fellowship, Los Angeles, CA
1999 J. Paul Getty Fellowship for the Visual Arts
1998 The Basil H. Alkazzi Award (U.S.A.)
1997 Fulbright Scholarship to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1995 Guggenheim Fellowship
1995 NEA U.S./Mexico International Exchange Scholarship to Mexico City
1994 Western States Art Federation/NEA Grant
Public Projects
2022 - 2026
“A Panoramic View of Los Angeles from Pre-History to the Present Day” - Westwood/VA Hospital Station, Metro D Line, Los Angeles
2019
"Through The Eyes of Artists" Poster Series (Burbank) - LA Metro (MTA), Los Angeles
2018
"The Hats" at Lincoln Park, Burbank, CA. Ceramic tile mural created for one of three public sculptures created by Michael Davis and Eugene Daub, depicting the history of the city.
2017
"Gaffney Street Pool", ceramic tile mural for public swimming pool, assisting Elyse Pignolet, San Pedro, CA, commissioned by the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Dept., 300 sq. ft.
2013
"Pacific Gateway", Co-Finalist with Elyse Pignolet for 20 public artworks. Colorado/4th St. Station, Expo Line, Los Angeles Metro
2012
"Jazz and the Nation", "Jazz and the City", "Jazz and the Afterlife", Three ceramic tile murals - Lobby, SFJAZZ Theatre, San Francisco, CA
2009
“Avalon Lifeguard/Paramedic Headquarters”, ceramic tile mural, 200 sq. ft, Avalon, CA
2008
“A Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Boyle Heights”, ceramic tile murals, 1000 sq. ft. Hollenbeck Station, Los Angeles Police Department, East Los Angeles, CA
2004
“Metro Rapidway - Tarzana Station, Terrazzo Designs”, Metropolitan Transit Authority, Los Angeles, CA
2002
“The Discovery of the City of Long Beach”, 2 ceramic tile murals, 600 sq.ft. City Place Shopping Center, Long Beach, CA
Solo Exhibitions
2024
“Pooh” - Limited Edition Book - Arion Press, San Francisco, CA
2022
“New Paintings for the U.S. Capitol Rotunda” - Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“‘Los Angeles and Her Surroundings’ and Other Works’ - Track 16 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020
“Sea of Contagion” - Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Imaginary Monuments III” - Minnesota Street Projects, San Francisco, CA
“The Perfect Storm” - Koplin del Rio Gallery, Seattle, WA
2019
"The Triumph of Hate - Sandow Birk" - P.P.O.W Gallery, New York, NY
"Monumental" - Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
"Sandow Birk and Elyse Pignolet: American Procession" - The MAC, Dallas, TX
"American Qur'an" - Harley Gallery, USC Upstate, Spartanburg, South Carolina
2018
"Sandow Birk: Monumental" - Koplin del Rio Gallery, Seattle, WA
"Imaginary Monuments II" - Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Sandow Birk: Print Works” – Gus Fisher Gallery, University of Auckland, New Zealand
"American Qur'an" - Sabeel Center, Chicago, IL
"American Qur'an" - Museum of Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX
2017
"Sandow Birk: American Qu'ran" - Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, OR
"Sandow Birk: American Qu'ran" - Riverside Museum of Art, Riverside, CA
2016
"The Depravities of War" - University of Anchorage, AK
“Depravities and Monuments” – SDSU Downtown Gallery, San Diego, CA
"The Depravities of War" - Thatcher Gallery, Univ. of San Francisco, CA
2015
"Sandow Birk: Imaginary Monuments" - Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
"Sandow Birk: American Qu'ran" - Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA
2014
"American Qur'an" - Kittridge Gallery, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA
"American Qur'an" - Koplin del Rio Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013
"American Qur'an" - Winter Center Gallery, Millersville University, Millersville, PA
“American Qur’an” – I.D.E.A. Space, Colorado Springs, CO
“Divine Comedy” – ASU Library, Tempe, AZ
“American Qur’an"(Part 6) – PPOW Gallery, New York, NY
2012
"American Qur'an" - Faulconer Gallery, Grinnell College, IA
"Sandow Birk's Divine Comedy" - San Jose Museum of Art, CA
"American Qur'an - Recent Works" - Koplin del Rio Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
"The 99 Names of God" - McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, TX
"Sandow Birk - Drawings" - Deus Gallery, Canggu, Bali, Indonesia
2011
"Sandow Birk's American Qur'an", The Warhol Foundation, Pittsburgh, PA
“American Qur'an (4th Installment)", Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2010
“Depravities of War”, McKinney Ave. Contemporary (MAC), Dallas, TX
"American Qur'an", PPOW Gallery, New York, NY
"Sandow Birk", Stadt Reutlingen Museum, Reutlingen, Germany
2009
“Sandow Birk”, Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg, Germany
“American Qur’an”, Koplin del Rio Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“American Qur’an”, Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Sandow Birk”, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
"Sandow Birk: Death, War, and Deceit", Fullerton College, Fullerton, CA
“The Depravities of War”, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2008
“The Depravities of War,” Katzen Arts Center, American University, Washington, D.C.
“The Depravities of War”, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
“The Depravities of War”, The Chocolate Factory, Phoenix, AZ
2007
“The Depravities of War”, Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“The Depravities of War”, Art Museum of Long Beach State University, CA
“Sandow Birk: Dante’s Inferno”, The Horse Hospital, London, UK
2006
“Sandow Birk’s Divine Comedy”, Grand Central Art Center, Santa Ana, CA
“Sandow Birk - Lithographs”, Art Center of San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, CA
“Leading Causes of Death in America”, Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“The Graphic Works of Sandow Birk,” Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center, Makawao, HW
“Sandow Birk’s Divine Comedy”, South Texas Institute for the Arts, Corpus Christi, TX
2005
“Sandow Birk’s Divine Comedy”, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA
“Contemporary Links: Sandow Birk”, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA
“Dante’s Paradiso”, P.P.O.W. Gallery, New York, NY
“Dante’s Paradiso”, Hearst Gallery, St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA
2004
“Dante’s Purgatorio”, Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2003
“Dante’s Inferno”, Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“Incarcerated: Visions of New York”, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY, New Paltz, NY
2002
"Maximum Security: Visions of NY in the 21st Century", Debs & Co. Gallery, New York, NY
"In Smog and Thunder: Historical Works from the Great War of the Californias" Sonoma Valley
Art Museum, CA (catalog)
"Homefront: Posters from the Great War of California", 111 Minna St. Gallery, San Francisco, CA
"Home Front II", Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
"Velvet Cruise", group show, Self-Help Graphics, Los Angeles, CA
"Stonewall and Beyond", Advocate Gallery, L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, Hollywood, CA
2001
"Incarcerated: California Landscapes at the Millenium" Santa Barbara Contemp. Arts Forum, CA (catalog)
"Incarcerated: Visions of California in the 21st Century", Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2000
"Historical Works from the Great War of the Californias" Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
"Prisonation: California Landscapes at the Millenium" Koplin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
"Historical Works from the Stonewall Riots and Beyond" Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1999
"Carioca: A Year Among the Natives of Rio de Janeiro" San Jose Museum of Art, CA
"Historical Works from the Stonewall Riots and Beyond" Earl McGrath Gallery, New York, NY
"Sandow Birk: New Work", Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1998
"Smog and Thunder - Historical Works from The War of the Californias" (Part I), Catherine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
"Smog and Thunder - Historical Works from The War of the Californias" (Part II), Koplin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1997
"Carioca: A Year Among the Natives of Rio de Janeiro" Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
"Skatistas, Moleques, Mendigos (Skaters, Punks, Street Kids) -New Drawings from Rio de Janeiro by Sandow Birk", Spruce Street Forum Gallery, San Diego, CA
1996
"Historical Paintings of The Great Battle of San Francisco" Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
"Sandow Birk - Recent Work", Michael Solway Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
1995
"The Rise and Fall of Los Angeles" - New Work by Sandow Birk, Koplin Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
"Chilangos - Drawings by Sandow Birk", Nacional de Artes Plásticas "La Esmeralda", Centro Nacional de las Artes, Mexico City, D.F.
"Tales of the Cities" - New Paintings by Sandow Birk, Morphos Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1994
"Skaters" - New Drawings by Sandow Birk, Koplin Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
"Asphalt Landscape - Recent Paintings by Sandow Birk", Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, IL
1993
"Truce: Sandow Birk", Julie Rico Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1992
"The Gates of Hell: L.A. Landscapes of the ‘90’s", Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA
"Sandow Birk", Bess Cutler Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1990
"New Velvet - New Paintings by Sandow Birk", Earl McGrath Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1989
"Velvet - Sandow Birk", Earl McGrath Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Selected Public Collections
Library of Congress of the United States, Washington, DC
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, CA
The Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA
Spendhaus Museum of Woodblock Printing, Reutlinguen, Germany
New York Historical Society, New York, NY
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
New York Public Library, New York, NY
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada
San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Los Angeles, CA
Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL
Harvard University Art Museum, Cambridge, MA
Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, OR
Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
De Young Museum – Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA
Achenbach Graphic Arts Council, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA
Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA
Detroit Institute for the Arts, Detroit, MI
Ballinglen Museum of Contemporary Art, Co. Mayo, Ireland
Rene di Rosa Foundation – Napa, CA
Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, CA
Societa Dantesca (Dante Institute), Ravena, Italy
Center for the Study of Political Graphics, Culver City, CA
Museum Narodowe (National Museum), Gdansk, Poland
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
Fidelity Investments Collection
Faulconer Gallery, Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta, GA
Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma, Italy
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, AZ
Cornell University Library, Ithaca, NY
University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME
Pomona College Museum of Art, Claremont, CA
Fullerton College Museum, Fullerton, CA
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Mountain View, CA
Abrahamson Family Collection, Madison, WI
Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024
“Imagined Fronts: The Great War and Global Media” - Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) - Los Angeles, CA
2023
“Southern California Contemporary Art: Gifts from the Stuart and Judith-Vida Spence Collection” - Laguna Art Museum, CA
“Unsettled Landscapes” - Benton Museum of Art, Claremont, CA: April 19 - July 23, 2023
“Recent Acquisitions: Permanent Collection” - Ballinglen Museum of Art, Co. Mayo, Ireland
“Printmaking in the 21st Century” - Detroit Institute for the Arts, Detroit, MI
“A Point Stretched - Works from the Permanent Collection” - Koret Gallery, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA
“Sobremesa” - Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Brand Spanking New - New Acquisitions to the Permanent Collection - Laguna Art Museum, CA
“Duke Kahanamoku and the history of Surfing” - International Surfing Museum, Huntington Beach, CA
“Captives and Nomads: Creating Space in East and West” - Wende Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
2022
“We the People: The Radical Notion of Democracy” - Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Ark.
“Past is Prologue: Contemporary Art in History.” - Addison Gallery at Andover University, MA
“The Printer’s Proof - Artist and Printer Collaborations - Albuquerque Museum of Art, NM
“Finding California Surf” - International Surfing Museum, Huntington Beach, CA
“Forest = Fire - Truckee Community Center, CA
2021
“700th Anniversary of Dante’s Death” - H.F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell, NY
“Aesthetic Forces: Nature in the Modern California Landscape, 1915–2015” - Museum of Art, St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA
“Selections from the Permanent Collection” - Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA
“The Sea Around Us” - 8-Bridges, San Francisco, CA
“Neighborhood” - Koplin del Rio Gallery, Seattle, WA
2020
“A Dreadful Attack of Presidential Fever” - McIninch Gallery, SNHU, Manchester, NH
“Protest Art” - The Galleries@CCBC, Baltimore, MD
“To Hear and Be Heard” - Santa Clara University, CA
"Los Angeles Area Scene Painting" - Hilbert Museum of California Art, Orange, CA
"Sacred Scripts" - Ellen Noel Art Museum, Odessa, TX
"Sanctuary" - Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Ontario
2019
"Political Satire Through History" - Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada
"A Confrontation of Ideals" - Anren Biennale, Anren, Sichuan, China
"What's New: Curatorial Conversation" - Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, OR
"Alle zu Hause" - Kunstmuseum Reutlingen - Spendhaus, Reutlingen, Germany
"Art in Action: Herblock and Fellow Artists Respond to Their Times" - Library of Congress, Washington, DC
"Art & Activism: An Exhibition About Change" - Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Hawaii
"70th Anniversary" - Long Beach Museum of Art, CA
"L.A. Narrative Painting" - Craig Krull Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
"Local Editions: A Celebration of Bay Area Printmaking - Palo Alto Art Center, CA
"Perennial" - Koplin del Rio Gallery, Los Angeles
"The White House" - Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco
"With A Little Help from My Friends" - Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles
"A Place for Everything, And Everything In Its Place. Works from the Permanent Collection from 1967 to the Present" - Begovich Gallery, CSU Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
2018
"Entre Tinta y Lucha: 45 Years of Self Help Graphics Art" - Fine Arts Gallery, Cal State Los Angeles
"Art & Advocacy: Herblock and Fellow Artists Respond to Their Times"
Library of Congress Graphic Arts Galleries, Washington, DC
"Wrestling the Angel: A Century of Artists Reckoning with Religion" -
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte, NC
"Artists and their Books/Books and their Artists" - Getty Research Center, Los Angeles, CA
"Dragnet: 832" - Durden + Ray Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017
"Imagen Angeleno" - Museum of Art and History, Lancaster, CA
"Sanctuary: For-Site Projects" - Ft. Mason Chapel, San Francsico, CA
"Seen and Unseen" - Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA
"On the Edge: Art of California” - SFMoMA, San Francisco, CA
"After the Fact" - Lenbachhaus + Kunstbau, Munchen, Germany
"Hear All - Activism Through Prints" - Whipple Fine Arts Center, Umpqua Comm. College, OR
"Book Arts in Southern California" - Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA"
"The Violence of Truth" - ASU Art Museum, Tempe, AZ
"Et in Arcadia Ego" - Cal. Luthern Univ., Thousand Oaks, CA
"Bookworks/Artworks" - Marymount Univ., San Pedro, CA
2016
"Florence" - Hotel de la Salle, Paris / Florence, Italy
"War" - Kunstraum C.G. Boerner Gallery, New York, NY
"Southland" - Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“Wood, Paper, Ink: Contemporary Woodcuts” - Sonoma State Univ., Sonoma, CA
"Free Radicals: Remixing History through the Power of Print" - Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
“Systemic Equality” – Arcilesi Homberg Gallery, New York, NY
"Reflections: Home, Housing & Shelter" - Q Art Salon, Santa Ana, CA
"L.A. Landscapes" - LAST Projects, Hollywood, CA
"Sagres Surf Culture 2016" - Vila do Bispo, Sagres, Portugal
"Surf Culture" - Golden West College Art Gallery, Huntington Beach, CA
"Then & Now (Again)" - Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA
2015
"ARTillery: Contemporary Art Influenced by Weaponry" - Mesa Cont. Art Museum, Mesa, AZ
"The Possibilities of Paper" - Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga,CA
“Off the Charts” – 516 Arts, Albuquerque, NM
“And the Word is…” – The Gershman Y, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA"
"Blow Up: New Acquisitions at the ASU Art Museum"- Tempe, AZ
2014
"La Guerra che Verrá Non é la Prima (The War That Will Be is Not The First)"
Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Revoreto, Trentino, Italy
“New American Printmaking” - Union of Bulgarian Artists, Shipka 6, Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria
"New American Printmaking" – Union of Bulgarian Artists, - Plavno, Bulgaria
"Hell is A Place We Make: Visions of Dante's Inferno" - Foster Gallery, Haas Fine Art Center,
Univ. of Wisconsin- Eau Claire
"The Art and Soul of Surfing" - Huntington Beach Art Center, CA
"Takeover" - Gildar Gallery, Denver, CO
"Initial Public Offering: New Works from SJMA's Permanent Collection" - San Jose Museum of Art, CA
"This Is Not America" - Arizona State Univ. Art Museum - Tempe, AZ
"Dirty Dozen" - Tresor Gallery, New Orleans, LA
"Prep School: Prepper and Survivalist Ideologies and Utopian/Dystopian Visions" - Torrance Art Museum, CA
"West Coast Ink: Printmaking from San Diego to Seattle" - Univ. Art Gallery, Sonoma State Univ. CA
"Resonating Images III", Wm. Roland Gallery of Fine Art, Cal. Luthern Univ., Thousand Oaks, CA
2013
"Baker's Dozen V: Marginal Revolutions" - Torrance Art Museum, CA
"Geographies of Detention" - UCR California Museum of Photography, Riverside, CA
"Faux Real" - Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
"Resonating Images II" - William Rolland Gallery, California Lutheran Univ., Thousand Oaks, CA
"Transitions" - VSTR, Byron Bay, Australia
"Dialoguing with Sacred Texts" -Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
"Changing Perspectives of the Western Landscape" - Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, NM
"Side Affects" - Liliana Bloch Gallery, Dallas, TX
"Kustom Kulture II" - Huntington Beach Art Center, CA
"And the WORD is..." - Towson University, Baltimore, MD
"Tradition of Mayhem" - Santa Rosa College, CA
2012
"Contemporary Painting, 1960 to the Present" - SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA
"Welcome Back: New Lithographs" - Tamarind Press, Albuquerque, NM
"The Chosen Ones" - San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, San Luis Obispo, CA
"Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection" - Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
"Juxtapoz Turns 18" - Copro Nason Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
"Clark Gallery Turns 21" - Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2011
"Being American" - Visual Arts Gallery, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
"[Dis]Locating Culture", Michael Berger Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
"The Imprint of War: Responses in Print", Univ. of Pittsburgh Art Gallery, PA
“If These Walls Could Talk”, Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
"Suggestivism", Grand Central Art Center, Santa Ana, CA
“Surf’s Up”, Palos Verdes Art Center, Rolling Hills Estates, CA
“Beyond Impressions”, Morono Kiang Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2010
"Art Shack", Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
"COLA Exchange", Akademie de Kunste, Berlin, Germany
“Curiosities of the Curio”, Andi Campognone Projects, Pomona, CA
“Secret Drawings”, Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, CA
“The Rise of Rad: The Influence of the Urethane Revolution”, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
“Dark Wave”, IGM Art Gallery, Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
“Real and HyperReal”, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA
2009
“On Paper”, Jenkins Johnson Gallery, New York, NY
“Hobos to Street People”, California Historical Society, San Francisco, CA
“Variations on a Theme”, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA
"The Art of Refuse", Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ
"West Coast Drawing VII", Davidson Gallery, Seattle, WA
“Full Deck: A Short History of Skate Art”, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA
2008
“New Political Prints from TJ2LA”, Casa del Tunel Art Center, Tijuana, BCN, Mexico
“Freedom of Expression: Art in an Age of Uncertainty”, Sonoma State Univ., Sonoma, CA
“Looky See”, Ben Maltz Gallery, Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, CA
“War and Empire”, Meridian Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Speaking to the Unspeakable”, Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Islands + Ghettos”, Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg, Germany
“Criminal: Art and Justice in America”, San Francisco State University Art Gallery, SF, CA (catalog)
“In the Land of Retinal Delights: The Juxtapoz Factor”, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
“Sk8ology”, Ism Gallery, Long Beach, CA
“Some Paintings – LA Weekly Annual Biennial”, Track 16 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2007
“Drawing from History”, ASU Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
“Emerging Wor(l)ds”, tina-b Contemporary Art Festival, Prague, Czech Republic
“Treasures of the West: Art from Desert Collections”, Palm Springs Museum of Art, CA
“Multiple Interpretations”, New York Public Library gallery, New York, NY
“Tradition/Collision”, Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
“The Landscape of War” San Jose Institute for Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
“Actor! Actor!” Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, CA
“The California Files”, Wattis Institute, CCA, San Francisco, CA
“Art and Activism in the 20th Century: Selections from the Permanent Collection”,
Pomona College Museum of Art, Pomona, CA
“The Landscape of War”, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
“New Prints 2007”, International Print Center New York, NY
2006
“Visual Politics: Art of Engagement”, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA
“Otis: Ninety Years of Los Angeles Art”, Los Angeles Municipal Gallery (Barnsdall), L.A., CA
“Tracking and Tracing: Contemporary Acquisitions”, San Diego Museum of Art, S.D., CA
“Visual Alchemy”, Oakland Art Gallery, Oakland, CA
“Politick”, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, CA
“Reality Effect”, Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, CA
“The ‘S’ Word – Spirituality in Contemp. Art”, Judson Gallery of Art, Los Angeles, CA
White Box Gallery, New York, NY
2005
“Prints: System, Style, and Subject”, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA
“Variations on the Picturesque”, Kitchener-Waterloo Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
“The Loyolas Collect”, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
“New Old Masters”, curated by Donald Kuspit, Gallery C, Hermosa Beach, CA
“The Other Mainstream: Selections from the Collection of Mikki and Stanley Weithorn”
ASU Art Museum – Nelson Fine Arts Center, Tempe, AZ
2004
"Dante and the Divina Commedia in the fine arts of the 20th century", City of Erlangen Museum,
Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
“100 Artists See Satan”, Grand Central Art Center, Santa Ana, CA (catalog)
“On the Edge” Pico Rivera Center for the Arts, Pico Rivera, CA
“Contemporary Velvet”, Patricia Correia Gallery, Santa Monica, CA and David Zapf Gallery, SD, CA
“The Political Landscape”, City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs, Barnsdall Gallery, L.A., CA
2003
“Surf Culture: The Art and History of Surfing”, Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HW
“Surf Culture: The Art and History of Surfing,” San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA
“Greenough Tribute”, International Surfing Museum, Huntington Beach, CA
“Hybrid: Digital Printmaking”, SFSU Fine Arts Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Tainted Landscapes” Zilkha Gallery, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn.
“Terciopelo Negro 2” Instituto Cultural de Baja California, Tijuana, BC, Mexico
and Instituto Cultural, Mexicali, BC, Mexico
2002
"Surf Culture: The Art and History of Surfing", Laguna Art Museum, Laguna, CA
"Collection Highlights (Work from the Permanent Collection)", San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA
"Unreal:Sandow Birk, Kim Keevers, Kathleen Gilje",Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
"Contemporary Collectors Exhibition", Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
"Terciopelo Negro", Instituto Cultural de Baja California, Tijuana, BC, Mexico
"Bay Area Printmakers", SFMOMA Artist’s Gallery, San Francisco, CA
"The Story Is In The Telling", Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA
"The Multiple Road", Patricia Correia Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
"Contemporary Collectors Exhibition", Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
2001
"Reconstructing Reality-Artists’ Response to Sept. 11", Oakland Art Gallery, CA
"Travel Smart" and "Filing Cabinet", DIRT Gallery, West Hollywood, CA
"Of Dreams and Dreamers", Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago, IL
"Capital Art - On the Culture of Punishment", Track 16 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA (catalog)
"Representing L.A.", Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX (catalog)
"Post-Landscape: Between Nature and Culture" Cal State Pomona Art Gallery, CA (catalog)
2000
"Representing L.A.", Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA
"Surf Trip" Track 16 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
"Velvet Painting", Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA
"Made in California, 1900-2000" Los Angeles County Museum of Art, L.A., CA
"Fact or Fiction: Contemporary Art that Walks the Line", San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA
1999
"Drawing the Line", Scripps Gallery, Claremont College, Claremont, CA
"Surfin' Art" South Texas Institute for the Arts, Corpus Christi, TX (catalog)
"When Borders Migrate-Reflections on the 150th Anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo", The Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA
"Courting the Muse - Contemporary Paintings, Historical Influences", (catalog with essay by Nadia Novikoff), Main Gallery, CSUFullerton, Fullerton, CA
"Story Tellers", Art Institute of Southern California, Laguna Beach, CA
1998
"Contingent Reality", Diane Nelson Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
"Skate Lore: California Skate(board)ing Index to Concepts, Forms, Life", Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Center, CA
"When Borders Migrate-Reflections on the 150th Anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo", San Francisco Arts Commission, CA
1997
"Lineas de Correspondencia", Galeria Jose Maria Velasco, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, D.F., Mexico (catalog)
1996
"New Faces", Irvine Valley College, Irvine, CA
"Drawn Conclusions", Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA
"RE: Masters - New Images from Old Sources" (catalog), Rancho Santiago College, Santa Ana, CA
"Melody Makers", Gallerie Torta di Miele, Bologna, Italia
"Drawn from L.A. - Drawings by Contemporary Artists", Armoury Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA
"Mind-Eye-Hand-Heart" New Drawings, Golden West College, Huntington Beach, CA
1995
"It’s Only Rock’n’Roll" (Traveling museum show with catalog), Phoenix Art Museum, AZ; Tacoma Art Museum, WA; Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH; Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH; and others
"Quotations from the Source", Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA
"Social Engagement" -(catalog) Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, L.A., CA
1994
"California - The Cutting Edge", Downey Museum of Art, Downey, CA
"The Night of the Masque", Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA
"Crossing the Line: Civil Disobedience in the ‘90’s", Delta Axis Contemporary Arts Center, Memphis, TN
1993
"Custom Grafix", The Works Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA
"Kustom Kulture", Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
1992
"East Meets West", Speedway Gallery, Boston, MA
"I Thought California Would Be Different", Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
1991
"Contemporary Visions of the Virgin of Guadalupe", Downey Museum of Art, Downey, CA
"The Edge of Night", Muckenthaler Cultural Center, Fullerton, CA
1990
"‘Heal the Bay’ Surfboard Invitational", James Corcoran Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Selected Bibliography
Artistic California - by Emma Acker, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2023
“Sobremesa” - Review by E. Wilson, 48 Hills website, San Francsico, March 7, 2023
“Dante in L.A.: Dislocating Inferno in Translation” - Albeto Gelmi, Dante Studies, Vol. 140, Aug. 2023
“Normative Readings of the Qur’an: From Premodern Middle East to the Modern West” - E. Bazzano, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Two paintings featured - Conduit Magazine, No. 32, Summer 2022 - St. Paul, MN
“Addison exhibits explore promise of American Experiment” - Salem News, Salem, MA - June 17, 2022
“Artists on the Trump Era” - The Markaz Review, Oct. 15, 2020
“Sandow Birk and American Qur’an” - by Anshif Ali, Tibaq Magazine, India, May 2020
“Booksellers Holiday: The Depravities of War” - by M.Delgado, LAWeekly, May 21, 2020
“Los Angeles Area Scene Paintings” - by Liz Goldner, LAWeekly, May 15, 2020
“Los Angeles Area Scene Paintings” - by A.Osberg, Artillery Magazine, Los Angeles, April 8, 2020
“Best of L.A. Arts: Lowbrow at LACMA” by S.N.Dambrot, LAWeekly, Los Angeles - Aug. 19, 2019
“Art and Activism” - Review by A.Mitchell, Maui Time Weekly, Kahalui, HI - Aug. 26,2019
"Narrative Paintings Accentuate L.A.'s Complicated History" - Review by D.Krieger, ArtBlog, Aug. 18, 2019
"Narrative Painting in Los Angeles"- Review by ?, Art and Cake, Los Angeles, CA - Aug. 12, 2019
"The Apocalyptic Pool Party..." - Review by SMizota, Los Angeles Times,CA - Aug. 8, 2019
"Narrative Painting in Los Angeles" - Review by NKTurner, Riot Material Magazine, Los Angeles, Aug. 5, 2019
"We Love Art Books" - by G. Grundy, Artillery Magazine, Los Angeles, CA - April 25, 2019
"An American Procession and Some Divine Ammunition in Dallas" - Review by C.Copeland, Glasstire, Texas, April 27, 2019.
"Sandow Birk: New Editions" - review by S.K.Hanley, Art in Print Magazine, March 2019
“Sandow Birk: Imaginary Monuments II” - review by D.Cheng, Fabrik Magazine, Beverly Hills, CA March 2019
“Placing the Qur’an in the Context of Ordinary American Life” - by B.Blaney, Radio KTTZ, Texas, Dec. 5, 2018
“Idealist Monuments at Clark Gallery” - by C.Desmarais, SF Chronicle, San Francisco, Oct. 25, 2018
“Art to See This Fall” - by A.Gates, New York Times newspaper, Oct. 25, 2018
"Auto-Didactic: The Juxtapoz School" - Book for show published by Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, 2018
“The Power of Artists’ Books to Bind Together Radical Ideas” - by M.Stromberg, Hyperallergic, Aug. 27, 2081
"The Majestic Qur'an"by Akbar Ahmed, The Daily Times, Lahore, Pakistan, Aug. 11, 2018
"A Qur'an for Americans of Today" - Review by Artemesia, Art in Pakistan website, July 23, 2018
"American Procession" - Review by J.Scarborough, What the Butler Saw webzine, June 26, 2018
"L.A. Man"by Joe Donnelly, Rare Bird Books, Los Angeles, 2018
"Shows Ponder Architectural Possibilities" - Review by M.Upchurch, Seattle Times, Feb. 9, 2018
"Why this piece is more relevant than ever", by N.Piters, RealStyle website, June 27, 2017
"Our Institutions Will Not Save Us" - Eugene Weekly, Eugene, OR, Nov. 9, 2017
“A Roadmap to the Qur’an in English” - Review by J.Miles, L.A. Review of Books, Oct. 23, 2017
The Koran in English - by Bruce Lawrence, Princeton Univ. Press, 2017
To Hell and Back, T.Smith and M.Sonzogni, Benjamins Publishing, Victoria Univ., New Zealand, 2017
“Carceral States” – catalog, Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College, 2017
"American Qur'an and The Depravities of War" - feature by B.Levy, Art in Print, Vol.7, No.3, Sept. 2017
"Juncture" - Art review, Wall Street Journal International, June 23, 2017
"Depravities and Monuments" at SDSU Downtown Gallery", review by L.Buscemi, Art Ltd. Magazine, Feb. 23, 2017
"Sandow Birk at SDSU Downtown Gallery", review by R.Gleaves, Art and Cake Magazine, Los Angeles, Feb. 4, 2017
"Reports of the Death of Religious Art Have Been Greatly Exaggerated", by B.Plate, Los Angeles Review of Books, Jan. 24, 2017
"American Qur'an" - Cover story, Eugene Weekly, Eugene, OR, Jan. 19, 2017
"American Qur'an" - Interview, Oregon Public Radio, Jan. 23, 2017
"Land of Smokes at LAST Projects" - Review by P.Quinn, artandcakela.com, Jan. 5, 2017
“Artist’s Book Bridges Divide” – by K.Sawari, San Jose Mercury News, Dec. 14, 2016
“Land of Smokes” – Review by H.C.Arnold, Artandarnold blog, Los Angeles, CA, Dec. 15, 2016.
Imagine si transtextualitate - by. T.L.Stiop, Univ. of Oradea Press, Oradea, Romania, 2016
"Mammoth Woodblock Prints at USF Gallery" - by S.Whiting, SFGate, San Francisco, Nov. 16, 2016
"Rinascimenti - A Contemporary Tribute to Florence", show catalog, Lienart Press, Paris, 2016
Muslims and the Making of American, by Amir Hussain, Baylor Univ. Press, 2016
Cover Image: Le Monde Libertaire Magazine, No.1782. Paris, Oct.14, 2016.
"10 Best Artworks at EXPO Chicago 2016", by A.Goldstein, Artspace Magazine, Sept.24, 2016
“Legacy of Cadillac Desert” - by E.Skindrud, Sacramento Bee Newspaper, Aug. 7, 2016
Surfing: 1778-2015, by Jim Heimann, Taschen Books, Los Angeles, 2016.
"Sandow Birk's Fearlessly Political Art Takes On Islam's Holy Book" - by A.Nazaryan, Newsweek Magazine, New York, June 1, 2016.
“Anthropology and Contemporary Art: Parody and Stereotypes in the Work of Sandow Birk”,
by X. Andrade, Íconos Magazine, No. 55, Quito, Ecuador, May 2016.
"Vertrauter Koran" - Neues Deutschland newspaper, Berlin, April 15, 2016
"Ein amerikanischer Koran" - Bento Magazine, Germany, April 14, 2016
"Prisonation - Sandow Birk" - Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine, Vol. 16, 2015 - Curpertino, CA
"Qur'an Transcribed by Hand..." - Review by Abe Ahn, Hyperallergic website, Feb. 23, 2016
"11 Artworks Depicting Love Gone Very, Very Wrong" - feature by C. Shafaieh, BlouinArtInfo - Feb. 11, 2016
"Sandow Birk's Fresh Take on the Qur'an" - feature by M. Moodian, HuffingtonPost - Feb. 12, 2016
"Book Review: American Qur'an" - Denver Post, Denver, CO - Jan. 28, 2016
“American Qur’an is an Old/New Masterpiece” – Book Review by G. Willow Wilson, The Washington Post, Jan. 22, 2016
"Provoking Discussion, Not Riots" - Review by Z.Grewal, Salon - Dec. 13, 2015
"Sandow Birk: American Qur'an" - Review of Reviews: Art - The Week, Dec. 11, 2015
"Together at Last: American Qur'an" - D. Conwell, Open Access website, San Jose, CA - Dec. 12, 2015
“American Muhammad: Interview with Artist Sandow Birk” – by W.Linebaugh, ‘Merica Magazine, Dec. 21, 2015
“American Qur’an” – Book Review by D. D’Arcy, SF Chronicle, San Francisco, CA – Nov. 25, 2015
“Interpreting the Qur’an Challenges an Artist and His Audience” – Review by D.Walsh, Laguna Beach Independent, CA – Nov. 27, 2015
“Know Your Street Art: Monumental Edition” – Review by J.Curiel, SFWeekly, San Francisco, CA – Nov. 18, 2015
“The Artistry of Modern Islam” – feature by A.Boessenkool, OC Register, Santa Ana, CA, Nov. 15, 2015
"Curiosity and War Led Artist to the Koran" - B.Woolsey, LA Times, Los Angeles, Nov. 9, 2015
"American Qur'an, Ungkapan Kekaguman Seorang Ateis" - Republika, Jakarta, Indonesia - Nov. 6, 2015
“Bringing the Qur’an to Life in American” – by Ken Chitwood, Publishers Weekly, NYC, Nov. 5, 2015
“Real History in Real Time” – feature by Liz Goldner, Artillery Magazine, Los Angeles, Nov. 2015
"Exhibitions Where Moral Force Trumps Market Force", by H.Cotter, NY Times, Sept. 7, 2015, NYC
"Words of Monumental Importance" - by K.Chun, SF Chronicle, San Francisco, CA, Oct. 20, 2015
“The Qur’an in 114 Paintings”, by C.Reid, Publishers Weekly, New York, Oct. 30, 2015
“Best Books of 2015”, Publishers Weekly, New York, Oct. 15, 2015
“The All-American Qur’an”, by Tasbeeh Herwees, Good Magazine, Aug. 2015, Los Angeles, CA
Gardner’s Art through The Ages – 15th Edition, by Fred S. Kleiner, New York, NY, 2015
“Artillery” – Review by Lynn Trimble, Phoenix New Times, July 16, 2015. Phoenix, AZ
"Garble" - Review by David Roth. Squarecylinder.com, Jan. 28, 2015. San Francisco, CA
New American Paintings, No. 115, Jan. 2015. Open Studios Press, Boston, MA
"An Artist's Qur'an for Contemporary America" - Casey Lesser, Artsy.net, Oct. 6, 2014. New York, NY
"Dante's Urban American Vernacular: Sandow Birk's Comedy" - Dante Studies #131,
Dante Society of America, Arlington, MA, 2013
“Good Oil on Art in Dallas”, by Ute Junker. Australian Financial Review, June 27, 2014
"A Personal View of Islam's Holy Text", by T.Knapp, Intelligencer Journal, Millersville,PA, Oct. 24, 2013
"American Qur'an", by Clare Hurley, World Socialist Web Site, New York, NY, Sept. 28, 2013
"9 Must-See Exhibits in NYC", Campus Mercante website, Sept. 20, 2013
"Dante: The Most Vivid Version", by R.P. Harrison, New York Review of Books, NY, Oct. 3, 2013
"Complex Edifice - A Window into Prison Design", by Christopher Hawthorne, LA Times, Sept. 1, 2013
"The Detained Life", by Joy Shannon, Inland Empire Weekly, Riverside, CA, July 18-24, 2013
"Geographies of Detention", by C.Gudis and M.McGarry, The Design Observer Group, July 11, 2013
"Corrections and Collections - Architectures for Art and Crime", by Joe Day, Routledge Press, NY, 2013
"Inferno Revealed - From Dante to Dan Brown", by D. Parker, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2013
"365 Surfboards You Gotta Ride", by Ben Marcus, MVP Books, 2013
"Seeing Jazz with Muralists Sandow Birk and Elyse Pignolet," by L.Blumenfeld, Blouin Artinfo, Feb. 8, 2013
“As Open as the Genre It Celebrates”, by N. Chinen, New York Times, Jan. 26, 2013
“Panel Discussion – American Qur’an”, by Bret Wright, Colorado Springs Independent, Jan. 9, 2013
"New American Paintings", No. 103 - Boston, MA, Dec. 2012
“God, War, Politics at the MAC”, by C.Copeland, Glasstire - Texas Visual Art, Dallas, Dec. 3, 2012
“Capturing the SF Valley”, review by A.Walker, LA Weekly Magazine, Los Angeles, Nov. 6, 2012
"Bilder erzählen Weltgeschichte"(Pictures Tell World History), by Helge Hesse, Lektorat Sachbuch Pub., Munich, Germany, 2012.
"Sandow Birk and Elyse Pignolet", review, Art In Print Magazine, Vol 1, No. 5, Jan. - Feb. 2012,
"American Qur'an: Sandow Birk," Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Oxford Univ. Press, Aug., 2012
"In the Studio: Sandow Birk", by Clayton Campbell, Artvoices Magazine, New York, Aug. Sept., 2012
"PUSH-Print: 30 Artists Explore the Boundaries of Printmaking", by J.Berger, Lark Publishing, NYC, 2012
"Boont Fish in a Barrel", Illustration, Argonaut, Vol. XXX, No. 4538, San Francisco, CA June 2012
"Sandow Birk/Elyse Pignolet", Feature, The Yak Magazine #35, Seminyak, Bali, Indo. June 2012
“S Birk - American Qur’an: New Suras”, review by Shana Nys Dambrot, Art Ltd. Magazine, May 2012
“Three of Another Kind: This Artweek in L.A.” by Bill Bush, Huffington Post website, Feb. 20, 2012
"An American Take on the Quran", M.Morain, Des Moines Register newspaper, IA, Feb. 10, 2012
"24 Hours Project", Cabinet Magazine, Issue 44, New York, NY, Winter 2011-2012
"Notes from the West", feature, The Surfer's Path Magazine, Issue 88, London, Feb. 2012
"Deep Cuts", review by A.Weltner, New Times SLO, Vol. 26, No. 28, San Luis Obispo, CA, Feb. 9 2012
"Notes from the West- S.Birk in Ireland", Surfer's Path Magazine, London, Issue 88, Feb/Mar. 2012
"Works on Death at CCC", by M. Peteliki, Chicago Sun-Times, Jan. 24, 20122
"Crossing" by R.M.Anderson, Zyzzyva Magazine, Vol. XXVII, No. 2, San Francisco, CA
"Libertad", fiction by Sandow Birk, Slake Magazine, Vol. 1 No. 3, Los Angeles, CA
"(Dis)Locating Culture", by E.Pasquini, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, July 2011, Wash.DC
"Islam, Modernity, and the Human Sciences", by Ali Zaidi, Palgrave MacMillan Publishers, New York,NY
"New Artists, New World", Brut Magazine, Vol 023, Seoul, Korea, Issue 4, 2011.
"Becoming Part of American Fabric", by Zeeba Anarwala, Islamic Horizons Magazine, Plainfield, IN, June/July 2011
"Islamic Art Exhibit", review by Kurt Shaw, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, May 8, 2011
"Don't Cry for Me, Art Chicago", BadAtSports.com, Chicago, May 2, 2011
“A Cardboard Dante: Hell’s Metropolis Revisited”, by Ronald de Rooy, Metamorphosing Dante – Appropriations, Manipulations, and Rewritings in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries, Verlag Turia + Kant Publishers, Berlin, 2010
“An Artist’s View of the Qur’an”, review by M.Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 14, 2011
“Something to Believe In”, C, O’Toole, Carnegie Magazine, Pittsburgh, PA, Spring 2011
“Faith of Our Artists”, review by M. Fallon, Utne Reader, Minneapolis, MN, Feb. 23, 2011
“Sandow Birk: American Qur’an”, Submit Magazine, Vol. 3, Portland, OR, Fall 2010
"Sandow Birk", review, Journal of Art and Christianity, Issue 64, UK, Winter 2010
“Sandow Birk: American Qur’an”, review by Holland Cotter, New York Times, New York, Sept. 16, 2010
“American Artist Sandow Birk”, interview, The 7th Day Weekly, Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 2, 2010
“This Illuminated American Life”, feature, The Morning News, New York, NY, Nov. 1, 2010.
“Vom Kreislauf der Zerstorung”, by Otto Paul, Sudwest Presse newspaper, Stuttgart, Germany, Sept. 15, 2010
“Die Rache der Bauern fallt aus Reutlingen”, by C. Marquart, kultur magazine, Stuttgart, Germany, Sept/Oktober 2010
“Chelsea’s Big Openings”, by H. Halle, Time Out NY Magazine, New York, NY, Sept. 8, 2010
“Monster Out of the Box”, feature by Joe Donnelly, Surfers’ Journal Magazine, San Clemente, CA, Summer 2010
“A Cardboard Dante”, essay by R. de Rooy, “Metamorphosing Dante”, Turia und Kant Publishers, Berlin, 2010.
“Personal Mediations on the Koran”, feature, Arts & Leisure, New York Times, Aug. 28, 2009
“Artist’s illustrations a new take on Koran”, Los Angeles Times, Aug. 20, 2009
“Sandow Birk - American Qur’an”, review by T. DeCarlo, The Brooklyn Rail magazine, New York, Nov. 2009
“Painter mixes Qur’an verses, American life”, Gillian Flaccus, San Francisco Chronicle, Oct. 14, 2009
“The Art of Sandow Birk”, feature – interview, Blisss Magazine, Orange County, CA, Nov. 2009
“Of Epic Proportions”, by R.Schoenkampf, OC Riviera Magazine, Dec. 21, 2009
“Snips and Snails”, by Doug Harvey, LA Weekly, Sept. 10, 2009
“History in Print”, review by J.Oshiro, Honolulu Star Bulletin, Honolulu, HW, July 26, 2009
“«Калі людзі бачаць «Вызваленне Багдада», дык смяюцца» “, Nasva Niva newspaper, Minsk, Belarus, June 23, 2009
“Trash to Treasures”, review by W. Holden, New Times, June 18, 2009, Phoenix, AZ
“The Madness of War”, review by R. Pincus, San Diego Union Tribune, May 17, 2009
“Depravities of War”, feature by M. Tanner, Art Ltd. Magazine, Nov/Dec. 2008
“’Criminal’ at SFSU Fine Arts Gallery”, review by D.Chang, Artweek Magazine, May 2008, Volume 39
“Featured artist”, Harper’s Magazine, NY, April 2008
“Pageant of the New Old Masters”, review by Theo Douglas, The District magazine, Long Beach, CA, July 2, 2008
“Some Paintings’ exhibition is singularly diverse”, review by C.Knight, Los Angeles Times, Jan. 25, 2008
“Inferno”, cover illustration, Harper’s Magazine, NY, Aug. 2006
“The Art of Politics”, by Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, DC, May 15, 2006.
“Some Paintings” by Doug Harvey, including cover illustration, LA Weekly Jan. 11, 2008. Vol. 30/No.8
“Confronting the Art of Engagement”, R. Tierney, The Examiner, Washington, DC, May 12, 2006.
“Artistry Imperfect”, by Joanna Shaw-Engle, The Washington Times, DC, April 22, 2006.
“Visual Politics”, review by David Buuck, Artweek, Feb. 2006
“Ripped Open,” review by Scott Saul, ArcCA Magazine, Sacramento, CA, Feb. 2006.
“A Season in Hell – Sandow Birk’s Inferno”, Juxtapoz Magazine, Issue #61, S.F., CA, Feb. 2006
“SJ Exhibit Reveals Power”, by K.Baker, San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 26, 2005.
“Sandow’s Inferno”, by Dave Shulman, LA Weekly Magazine, Oct. 28, 2005
“Dante’s Paradiso”, Zyzzyva Magazine, San Francisco, Spring 2005
“Sandow Birk’s Divine Comedy”, review, The Economist magazine, New York, Nov. 2005
“Dante, Dude”, review by J. Gantz, The Providence Phoenix newspaper, Providence, RI, Sept. 2, 2005
“Best Books of 2004 – Dante’s Inferno”, review on National Public Radio, Washington, D.C., Dec. 2004
“Modern Inferno”, review by D. DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, May 5, 2004
“Dante’s Inferno”, review by K.Strassel, Wall Street Journal, New York, May 7, 2004
“How real can it get?”, review by R.Nilsen, The Arizona Republic newspaper, May 30, 2004
“Check Out the Parking Lot,” review by R.Solnit, London Review of Books, Vol. 26, No. 13, July 8, 2004
“Hot Artist”, “Who’s Hot” issue, Rolling Stone Magazine, New York, Aug. 2004
“Author of the Week: Sandow Birk: Dante’s Inferno”, feature, The Week Magazine, May 14, 2004
“Dante’s Inferno by Sandow Birk”, book review by K.A. Strassel, The Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2004
“Modern ‘Inferno’ sends big names to Hell”, review by D.DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer, May 5, 2004
“Birk’s witty, angry ‘Inferno’”, review by D.Kipen, San Francisco Chronicle, April 20, 2004
“Our Place in the World”, review by D. Pagel, Los Angeles Times, Calendar Section, March 25, 2004
“The Up-the-River School of Painting”, feature, Orion Magazine, Great Barrington, MA, May-June 2004
“Viewpoint”, essay by Alison Bing, Artweek Magazine, Vol 35, # 2, March 2004
“Be All That You Can Be”, interview by Marcia Tanner, Cabinet Magazine #10, New York, Spring 2003
Art and Celebrity, by John Walker,Pluto Press, London, 2003
"Murals Captivate" feature by S.Gottlieb, L.B.Press-Telegram, Jan. 24, 2003
"The Real Thing", by Ann Landi, ARTnews, cover story, June 2002
City by the Bay – San Francisco in Art and Literature, Edited by A. Chappell, SFMOMA, 2002
"Southland Shall Rise Again", feature by J.Fischer, San Jose Mercury News, Nov.12, 2002
"Sandow Birk", review by K.Johnson, New York Times, Oct 18, 2002
"This War Never Happened" –Interviw byP.Maliszewski,McSweeney’s Quarterly #8, Summer 2002
"The Rampart Verdict" by C.Rappleye, LA Weekly, Sept. 6, 2002
"Double Take"-by Kerman, Riverfront Times, St.Louis, MO, Aug. 21, 2002
"The North and the South", feature by L.Hom, SF Weekly, June 19, 2002
"It Was War!", review byP.Henley, Sonoma Index-Tribune newspaper, June 25, 2002
"California Dreamscapes with Prisons", book review by D.Kipen, SF Chronicle, Dec. 12, 2001
"No Warning Shots Fired" by M.Housley, JUXTAPOZ Magazine, Sept-Oct. 2001
"Art Comes of Age in L.A." review by R.Chang, O.C.Register, Show sec., Nov. 4, 2001
"On Prisons and Painting – A Convesation with Sandow Birk", by L.Gipe, Santa Barbara Indepent, Aug. 16, 2001
"City, Too, Benefits From Grants", review by Holly Myers, Los Angeles Times, Calendar, June 7, 2001
"Portrait of the Artist: Stars of LA’s Burgeoning Art Scene", photos by NJ Roy, GQ, (April 2001
"Prisonation", review by J.Rosenberg d’art international magazine, Vol.4,No.2 Toronto, Spring 2001
"Capital Art", review by C.Roth, Artweek, April 2001
"Innerspace," by Mark Housley, Comet Magazine, Vol. 2, No.1, Berkely, CA, Spring 01
"Reinventing the Landscape", by H.M. Sheets, ARTnews, March 2001
"The Drawing Center Wants You", by C. Noonan, American Artist, Vol. 65, Issue 706, May 2001
Capital Art on the Culture of Punishment, Ed. By M Botey and P.Perez, Smart Art Press, 2001
New American Paintings, No.31, Open Studios Press, Wellesley, MA, Dec. 2000
Representing L.A. Gordon L. Fuglie, Frye Art Museum, Univ. of Washington Press, Seattle, WA
"A Brush with the Past", feature, The Guardian newspaper, London, England, Sunday Dec. 2, 2000
"Art of War" Cover Story, by Scott Timberg, New Times Los Angeles, Sept. 27, 2000
"Sandow Birk-Pick of the Week", by Peter Frank, L.A. Weekly Magazine, Vol.23-No.1,Nov23-30, 2000
"The Great War" by Josh Kun, SF Bay Guardian, Oct 4, 2000
"In Smog and Thunder" Book Review, by Jennifer Joseph, SF Bay Guardian, May 31, 2000
"SF and LA Decide to Have an Extremely Uncivil War", by A. Gumbel, London Independent June 16, 2000
'"A Portrait of Sandow Birk", by Tyler Stallings, JUXTAPOZ Magazine, No. 28, Sept. 2000
'"The Unbearable Burden of Lightness", Review by R. Schoenkopf, OC Weekly, Aug. 18, 2000
'War of the Californias", by Mallard Fillmore, Orange County Register, Opinion Section, Pg. 9, June 9, 2000
"Smog vs. Fog", Review by Robert L. Pincus, San Diego Union-Tribune, Arts Section, Page 1, June 11, 2000
Understanding Art,, Harcourt College Publishers, Fort Worth, TX, 2001
"Laying Bare the Uncertain Underside of the Truth", Tessa De Carlo, New York Times, Arts & Leisure, April 9, 2000
"History and Art Merged", review by Sara Wolf, Show Section, OC Register, Sunday April 23, 2000, Pg. 27
"Portfolio: Sandow Birk", Rubén Ortiz-Torres Poliester Magazine Summer 1999, Vol.7,No.25, Mexico City, D.F.
Leeteg of Tahiti - Paintings from the Villa Velour, by John Turner, Last Gasp Press , San Francisco, CA, 1999
"What's Up Manhattan", B. Fasching-Gray Shout Magazine, Sept. 1999, New York, NY
Painting As Language , by Jean Robertson & Craig McDaniel, Harcourt Brace College Pub., Fort Worth, TX, 2000
"Pop Against Art" Essay-Review by Greil Marcus, Speak Magazine, Summer 1999, San Francisco, CA
"Artworld: Awards", Art in America, New York, March 1999,
"It's Relative", Review by Rebecca Schoenkopf, OC Weekly Magazine, March 12, 1999, Vol. 4, No.27
"The Art Academy", by Michal Reed, ARTWEEK Magazine, Vol. 30, #3, March 1999.
"Velvet Underground - The Roots of Velvet Painting", by Andrew Asch, OC Register newspaper, CA, Feb. 15, 1999
"Architect of War -Sandow Birk Paints a Future Past", by R.Schoenkopf, OC Weekly, Vol.4, No. 21, Jan 29,1999
"Works on Paper: Sandow Birk", Zyzzyva Magazine, San Francisco, Vol.XIV, No.3, Winter 1998
"L.A. to Z: Artist Sandow Birk", by Erika Lenkert, Los Angeles Magazine, December 1998
Most Art Sucks - Five Years of Coagula by Matt Gleason, Smart Art Press November 1998
"War of the Californias", Review by Ross Anderson, Panik Magazine, Nov. 1998, Issue 6, No.1
"The LAM with The Surprise Inside", Review by Rebecca Schoenkopf, OC Weekly Magazine, Nov. 6, 1998
"Sandow Birk at Koplin Gallery", Review by Holly Myers, Art Issues Magazine, Nov.-Dec., 1998
"Sly Scenes Picture a California Engulfed in Civil War.", Review by Claudine Isé, Los Angeles Times, Oct 16, 1998
"Sandow Birk at Koplin.", Review by O. Clark Jr., ArtScene Magazine, Los Angeles,Vol.18, No. 11, Sept. 1998
"The Landscape of Disturbance", by Fredrick Turner, The Wilson Quarterly, Washington, D.C., Spring 1998
"Flotsam and Jetsam of the Calif. State of Mind", Review by Greil Marcus, New York Times, March 30, 1998
"When Borders Migrate", Review by Glen Helfand, San Francisco Bay Guardian , Feb. 4, 1998
"When Borders Migrate", Review by Colin Berry The Herald , San Francisco, CA, Jan. 29, 1998
"A Couple of Views" Review by Cathy Curtis, Los Angeles Times, Calendar Section, Nov. 4, 1997
"Sandow Birk - Connected to the Canvas", cover story by Andrew Asch, Orange County Register, Nov. 9, 1997
"Laguna Museum Bounces Back" Review by Rebecca Schoenkopf, OC Weekly Magazine, Nov. 7, 1997
"God is Brazilian", feature by Jamie Brisick Surfing Magazine, Nov. 1997
"Salada - Carioquês" anonymous, Trip Magazine, São Paulo, Brazil, Vol. 10, #57, 1997
"A Perigosa Verdade (The Dangerous Truth)", by Vavá Ribeiro, Trip Magazine, São Paulo, Brazil,Vo.10,#56, 1997
"Sandow Birk at Spruce Street Forum", Review by Eric Matthies, Giant Robot Magazine, Issue #9, Winter 1997
"Rock Once Removed", Review by Tony Madejczyk, Charlotte Herald newspaper, Charlotte, NC, July 18, 1997
"Deadpan Humor Enlivens Rock Exhibit", Review by D. Menconi, The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, July 25, '97
"Líneas de Correspondencia", Review by Josué Ramírez, El Laberinto Magazine, Mexico City, D.F., July 1997
("Correspondence Lines, an Artistic Bridge between Mexico and the U.S.")
Review by Héctor León Diez, La Cronica de Hoy newspaper, Mexico City, July 1, 1997
"Airborne - Sandow Birk at Spruce Gallery", Review by Robert Pincus, San Diego Union Tribune, June 19, 1997
"Sandow Birk at Catherine Clark" (cover story), Review by M. Tanner, ARTWEEK Magazine, March 1997,
"Sandow Birk - Drawings" feature of artwork, Zyzzyva Magazine, San Francisco, Vol XIII, No.1, Spring 1997
"Sandow Birk at Catherine Clark", Review by Harry Roach, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Dec. 18, 1996
"Postmodern Unbound - Appropriationism for the Way Too Serious", OC Weekly review,,Nov. 8-14, 1996.
"Not-So-Fresh Take on the Old Masters", Review by Cathy Curtis, Los Angeles Times, , Nov. 12, 1996
"Sandow Birk - The Color of Urban Decay" by Dina Dominguez, Axcess Magazine, Aug/Sept., 1996
"Sandow Birk", feature by Jamie Brisick, Juxtapoz Art Quarterly, San Francisco, July 1996
"Sandow Birk - L'Artiste Anti-Hollywood", feature , Trip Surf Magazine, Paris, France, May 1996
"A Little Slow on the Draw" - Review by Cathy Curtis, Los Angeles Times, Calendar Section, April 16, 1996
"Sandow Birk - Traversing the Spectrum", Profile, Tracks Surfing Magazine, Sydney, Australia, Jan. 1996
"The Golden Land - In the Name of Progress", Review by Doree Dunlap, OC Weekly Magazine, March 8-14, 96.
"Sandow Birk - Drawings" feature of artwork, Zyzzyva Magazine, San Francisco, Vol. XII, No.1, Spring 1996
"Paint By Fate- Sandow Birk", Profile by Jamie Brisick, Surfing Magazine, April 1996.
"It's Only Rock'n'Roll-Rock'n'Roll Currents in Contemporary Art", Museum Catalog,
Essay by David S. Rubin. Prestel Publications, 1995.
"Framed in Controversy", Review by Cathy Curtis, Los Angeles Times, Calendar Section, Oct. 17, 1995
"Sandow Birk's Art Span", Review by Alfred Jan, Artist Writer Magazine, San Francisco, June 1995
"Successful Artists and Dealers", by Alan Bamberger, Art Calendar Magazine, San Francisco, May 1995
"Men of Irony - Sandow Birk at Morphos", San Francisco Chronicle, Datebook, April 9, 1995
"Social Engagements", Pick of the Week, Review by Peter Frank, L.A. Weekly Magazine
"Birk’s Best", Review by Susan Kandel, Los Angeles Times, Calendar Section, Sept. 29, 1994
"Surfin’ the ‘Hood, The Art of Sandow Birk", by J.Gunnin, Art? Alternatives Magazine, NY, Spring 1994
"Historical Violence", Review by Susan Kandel, Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1993
"Los Angeles, Prophet and Loss", by J.Scarborough, Art Press 184 International Magazine, Paris, Oct. 1993
"L.A. Aftermath - The Graphic Response to the L.A. Riots", by Eric La Brecque, Print Magazine, Sept./Oct. 1993
"Art ‘n’ the Hood - Paintings Of and By the Street Youth of LA", Hope Urban, VISIONS Art Quarterly Winter, 1993
"Birk and Ocampo: City Beat", Penny Miller, COAGULA Art Journal, Summer, 1993
"Kar Kulture: ‘Kustom Kulture’ at Laguna Art Museum", James Scarborough, Artweek Magazine, Aug. 15, 1993
"High and Low Culture in La-La Land", Karl Taro Greenfeld, Wingspan Magazine, Tokyo, Japan, August, 1993
"Ten to Watch in 1993", staff writer, Details Magazine, January 1993
"The More Things Change... Sandow Birk Looks Back to the Present", C. Curtis, Los Angeles Times,, Sept. 17, 92
"Bad Boys/Good Boys - Sandow Birk and the Killing of Los Angeles", J.M.S. Willett, cover story, VISIONS Art Quarterly Magazine, Fall 1992
"Peering Through the Gates of Hell - Artist Chronicles Urban Landscapes with Historical Twist", by Zan Dubin, Los Angeles Times, Calendar Section, Sept. 4, 1992
"Dream Deferred - The Mean Streets as Seen by Sandow Birk", Frances Lam, URB Magazine, July 1992
"In the Heroic Tradition - Sandow Birk", Bolton Colburn, Surfer’s Journal Magazine, Fall 1992
"Sandow Birk at Bess Cutler Gallery", staff writer, L.A. Style Magazine, April 1992
"New Velvet - Sandow Birk at McGrath Gallery", Lesa Sawahata, EXPOSURE Magazine, December 1990
"Sandow Birk’s Velvets", Review by Suvan Geer, Los Angeles Times, Calendar Section, Sept. 1, 1989