The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 14, 2026

A vertically oriented print on cream paper with deckle edges features two columns of black serif text under the centered title, "The Breath of Miraj." Small triangular symbols separate sections. The left column opens with "In the beginning…" while the right concludes with the signature "-Ayad Akhtar." The formal composition creates a balance between the crisp black ink and the paper's warm, textured surface.

Breath of Miraj by Ayad Akhtar

2016

Shahzia Sikander

(Pakistani American, b. 1969)
publisher

Pace Editions

America
Collaborative text
Framed: 87.6 x 73 x 3.8 cm (34 1/2 x 28 3/4 x 1 1/2 in.); Sheet: 68.5 x 53 cm (26 15/16 x 20 7/8 in.)
Gift of the Artist 2023.209.5
© Shahzia Sikander
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Sikander has been incorporating self-portraits into her work since The Scroll (1989-90), her undergraduate thesis project at the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan.

Description

Portrait of the Artist is a collaborative work that comprises four etchings by the visual artist Shahzia Sikander (Pakistani-American, b. 1969) and an accompanying text by the author Ayad Akhtar (Pakistani-American, b. 1970). Through their respective mediums, Sikander and Akhtar interpret the Mi’raj, an Islamic narrative about the Prophet Muhammad’s mystical night journey and ascent to heaven, in relation to the artistic pursuit.
  • 2016–23
    Shazia Sikander (the artist) [b. 1969], New York, NY, given to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    December 4, 2023–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Breath of Miraj by Ayad Akhtar|url=false|author=Shahzia Sikander, Pace Editions|year=2016|access-date=14 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2023.209.5