Christina Saj

Lives and works in New York, NY, USA

Artist statement

I work in primarily as a painter, on a variety of surfaces, often incorporating found materials, while exploring traditional narrative images and familiar mythologies through a lens of abstraction. Through careful research, adaptation of traditional techniques coupled with experimentation and a fresh modern approach, I aim to create works which engage, and delight the viewer. I weave personal feelings, thoughts and experiences with art historical references, rich color and pattern to build a world that explores beauty and the fantastic inviting the audience to visit a unique mystical world that allows us to escape the hum drum every day. Having grown up among immigrants in a diasporan community, my cultural heritage deeply informs my work. Questions around cultural ownership and boundaries permeate the work and my thinking. Sensibilities around craftsmanship and beauty are central to my practice. Having been originally trained as an iconographer, much of my work naturally embraces the spiritual realm. Exploring notions of "otherworldliness" as a means of understanding our world remain at the center of my explorations. I embrace colors and patterns from world cultures, especially those of my Ukrainian heritage in order to capture and illucidate more universal themes. Titles are critical and allude to specific and personal references that fill the work. I especially enjoy site specific and commissioned projects as they allow for interaction and for works to reflect their...

Artwork