An exhibition of paintings by Christina Saj
Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta
November 6, 2011 thru January 8, 2012
Artist’s Reception: Tuesday, November 15th, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
hours | generally 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. or by appointment. Please call ahead FREE & Open to the Public
Works are available for sale.
For purchase inquiries please email me.
Paintings
Illuminations
Prints
This exhibition will feature a collection works meant to elaborate on this year’s Advent theme “Wait, Watch and Wonder.” The artist whose work is often found in and exhibited in spiritual contexts explores narrative images inspired by her study of icon painting. Her work with congregations helps them experience, understand and experiment with an artistic practice in the context of ministry and especially in relation to the worship life of the church. Her exhibition will run through January 8.
Saj’s works betray an easy familiarity with the formal elements of Byzantine icons which are part of her heritage as well as part of her early studies in painting. As her work has evolved, her new paintings assimilate hard edge abstraction, flat shapes of rich color and rich patterning in order to artfully juxtapose contemporary art and the methodologies and meanings associated with icon building. Using formal elements and familiar narratives from ancient works, Saj aims to develop a language which can resonate with church goers today making the images beautiful, fresh, and approachable. Recurring themes allow the artist to rework and reinvent familiar characters in new ways and to distill them to their essence. For this exhibition, her focus is the season of Advent. Works will include paintings, mixed media works on paper and prints. Her subjects will be familiar: The Annunciation, Wise Men Bearing Gifts, The Nativity, and Angels in all their guises. The characters in these stories have preoccupied artists for centuries.
“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 New Jersey. 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.
Central Presbyterian Church is a downtown church that draws its membership from across the major metropolitan area. Sunday morning worship is a central aspect of congregational life. Enhanced by a fellowship luncheon each Sunday, worship is the principal gathering moment in each week for members, prospective members, and visitors and the primary occasion on which we establish, celebrate, and maintain community. In addition to our regular Sunday morning worship service, we also offer additional worship services. Central’s Liturgical Arts Guild encourages the creation of and use of visual art to transform and enhance worship spaces and experience. Regular art exhibits and workshops also help members explore the visual arts as a means of worship and expression of Christian faith. For more information please contact Dave Vandermeer, Director of Music & Fine Arts Ministries http://www.cpcatlanta.org/