St Francis, (lifesize) fiberglass, metal, canvas and paint, by Christina Saj
photo: Mahmoud Sami
EXPRESSING THE DEEP, FUNDAMENTAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF POWER AND HOPE IN THE UNIVERSE FOR ALL PEOPLES.
National Cathedral, Washington DC – Aug 31 to Oct 6, 2014
Cathedral of St John the Divine, NYC – Oct 12 – Nov 23, 2014
Christina Saj is pleased to join 47 artists from the Middle East and the West working from Christian, Muslim and Jewish backgrounds making a statement that they are “praying” for peace, justice, an end to sectarian strife and living and working together in harmony.
These 48 (30 Egyptian-both Muslim and Christian, and 18 Western–Christian and Jewish) were invited to participate in this unique visual art exhibition that was opened first in Cairo, Egypt on June 17 at the Museum of Modern Art, and will now be followed by exhibitions in the United States in Washington D.C. at the National Cathedral, (Aug 31st – October 6, 2014) and then in New York City at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, known for the arts. (October 12 – November 16, 2014).
St Francis is a lifesize sculpture standing over 6 feet tall constructed in mixed media. He is available for sale. To inquire please email the artist
“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
As an artist who paints icons, I come to making art with an understanding of ancient symbols. My aim is to reintroduce and explore these time honored images by using them in a vernacular which will make them familiar and engaging.
St Francis, the founder of the Franciscan order embraced peacemaking and alleviating suffering. He is to many the familiar backyard grotto inhabitant and beloved patron of animals, birds and ecology. He encouraged us to embrace our core Christian values and reminds us that small incremental steps are often what bring us closer to our goals. Choosing St Francis came naturally as a means to inspire us to think about a better, more tolerant and peaceful world. In what has become known as the Peace Prayer, often associated with him, we are invited to replace our negative behaviors with positive ones which can bring us closer to God.
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.