FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEListing Information:
Six Days of Creation
Paintings, by Christina Saj
March 30 thru May 30, 2008
hours | M-F 10-5 or by appointment FREE
Press Information: Contact
Pamela Bakker • pbakker@nbts.edu
Coordinator of Communications
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
17 Seminary Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732-247-5241 ext. 131
or Christina Saj • chryssa@christinasaj.com
(973) 964-5310
christina saj fine art
www.christinasaj.com
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Six Days of Creation at New Brunswick Theological Seminary
A reception for the artist will be held Saturday, May 3, 2008 from
11am to 1pm.
..
4-8-08 | New Brunswick, NJ – New Brunswick Theological Seminary
is pleased to present “SIX DAYS OF CREATION” an exhibition
of paintings by Christina Saj. This exhibition is located in situ
at the Seminary Chapel on their New Jersey campus adjacent to the
Rutgers University. The works, inspired by Genesis, are six 52” X
100” panels depicting the six days of creation. The series
was conceived specifically for installation in the chapel, a modern,
50’s vintage, circular worship space, spartan in it’s
décor, with seating that is moveable and conforms to the
needs of the community using it. Outside seminary worship, the
space is utilized on Sundays by nonresident congregations. The
show is augmented by the inclusion of a number of Saj’s other
works inspired by icons, such as Transfiguration, a five foot rendering
of a silver cross which dominates the Lobby outside the chapel.
“Six Days of Creation” illuminates the Seminary Chapel.
Saj is the current artist in residence at the New Brunswick Theological
Seminary. The appointment of artists in residence enriches the
community. Saj, a practicing artist with an established record
who will present programs and/or workshops throughout the year
for the purpose of helping students think about, experience, and
experiment with an artistic practice in the context of ministry
and especially to the worship life of the church. Saj is also teaching
a workshop about sacred space this semester. Her exhibition will
run thru the end of May.
Saj’s work instantly betrays a fascination with color and
though not narrative in the traditional sense, it employs recognizable
forms interlaced with rich surfaces of pattern and color. Her paintings
attempt to dazzle and engage the viewer with their subject. For
those versed in scripture, they have even more resonance. “Her
style reflects both aspects of her training -a use of abstract
form and colour which draws on the heritage of early twentieth-century
modern art, and the use of some of the forms, conventions and themes
in icon painting. This combination is startling… Saj’s
great achievement is to create a kind of synthesis between these
traditions, rather than simply borrow motifs or techniques of each.” – writes,
Rachel Nicholls, in her recent book “Walking on Water” which
includes analysis of Saj’s work specifically in relation
to scripture. [Nicholl’s writes] “She has creatively
combined two spiritual artistic traditions and through them expressed
a Christian narrative in a way in which is neither kitsch pastiche
nor nostalgic reference but a ‘meant’ religious symbol.
It is an intriguing postmodern achievement that has broken the
bounds of each tradition (an abstract painting with a figure in
it, an icon without a face) yet preserved and combined something
of the heart of them.”
Christina Saj is a painter who lives and works in NJ. She holds
a BA from Sarah Lawrence and an MFA from Bard College. Early in
her career, she mastered the technique of Byzantine Icon painting.
Her contemporary interpretations of icons have been widely exhibited
including such venues as the American Bible Society, Union Theological
Seminary, The Ukrainian Museum in New York, Museum of Cultural
Heritage, Kiev Ukraine, the American Embassy in Qatar as well as
at the White House. Her works reside in private and museum collections
in the US and abroad. More of her work can be seen at www.christinasaj.com.
New Brunswick Theological
Seminary was the first seminary in
North America having been founded in 1784. It is a teaching
institution
of the Reformed Church in America, and called by God to be
a servant of the whole church of Jesus Christ. The seminary
is still first
in many areas: it represents the diversity of the church and
world today having students from differing ethnic backgrounds
and cultures.
Its students represent denominational, ethnic, and gender diversity
as each prepares for ministry within an ecumenical environment.
The graduate leaves better prepared to translate their calling
and gifts into faithful Christian ministry within diverse world.
The majority of students are mid-career and attend classes
part time, more than half are people of color, and more than
half are
women. Baptist, Reformed and Presbyterian, African Methodist
Episcopal, Pentecostal, and non-denominational students comprise
the majority
of the student. The Seminary has a commitment to urban ministry
in a pluralistic world. Students come to their seminary training
as fully formed adults, bearing gifts of significant experience
and training in medicine, law, criminal justice, education,
finance, administration, politics, and other disciplines. ###
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