American (Iraqi, born in Egypt) artist Wasma’a Chorbachi inscribed her Bismillah plate (2007) with a highly stylized yet deeply meaningful inscription in Arabic: from right to left the plate reads, “bismillah,” or “In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.” This phrase opens nearly every chapter of the Qurʾan, and Chorbachi highlights its importance with her use of sharp black letters agai