Kim Badawi

From the “Taqwacores” Project, 2007

Kim Badawi (b. 1980, France) studied at l’ Ecole Superieure des Arts Graphiques, in Paris. He  graduated with a BFA in 2003, from the School of Visual Arts, in New York. While working as a photo assistant at Magnum Photos and Time Inc. he participated in various group exhibitions in both Manhattan and Washington DC. In 2005, he covered the plight of surviving refugee families from Mississippi to Texas during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. He recently graduated from the Documentary and Photo-journalism program at ICP while interning at Contact Press Inmages. Kim’s work appeared in 25 Under 25: Up-and-Coming American Photographers (PowerHouse Books, 2008) and The Taqwacores- A history of the American Muslim punk genre by  (PowerHouse Books, 2009).

About the Photograph:

“This photo was taken on assignment for Rolling Stone in the basement of a punk house known as La Casa Malidita in Chicago during the first ever Taqwa Tour in 2007.  It shows guitarist Shahjehan Khan of the Kominas’ – a Taqwacore band from Boston- being fed a freshly seared enchilada by former singer of Dia Critical, Omar Waqar – a Taqwacore band from Washington DC.  Taqwacore, encompasses a wide variety of musical styles, orientations, and includes individuals from different religious and cultural backgrounds.  Although this photo never ran in Rolling Stone I believe it encapsulates the notion of cross cultural acceptance and diversity.”