"Connections" exhibit brings together Montclair, N.J., and Graz, Austria (12/21/03)

"Connections" exhibit brings together Montclair, N.J., and Graz, Austria

MONTCLAIR, N.J. - An arts exhibition titled "Connections," that forms part of an international exchange program based on the sister city relationship of Montclair, N.J., and Graz, Austria, explores the concept of connectedness and its various interpretations as manifested in the works of the participating artists.

Presented as a two-part international exhibition, the first part of the exchange featured the work of Austrian artists from the Künstlerbund Graz artists' association, in an exhibit that opened in Montclair in September at the Montclair State University Galleries.

The second part of the exchange took place this month and featured the work of Montclair artists in an exhibit that was part of the culmination of a yearlong arts festival being held in Graz as the designated "Arts Capital of Europe 2003."

The "Connections" exhibit, which was two years in the making and received extensive local coverage, was curated by Olya Shevchenko of New York with a selection of works from the membership of the NJ Arts Group - Studio Montclair, a professional visual arts organization, where Ms. Shevchenko is curator-in-residence, as well as from faculty members and fine arts students from Montclair State University.

The exhibit, which opened December 3 at the Künstlerhaus in Graz, where it will be on view until December 30, includes painting, pastel, watercolor, photography, collage, sculpture and various mixed media.

Among the 29 participating artists are two Ukrainian Americans: Christina Saj, board member of Studio Montclair, and Alexandra Isaievych (originally from Lviv, and formerly of New Jersey, who has recently moved to California).

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Ms. Saj's work, titled "Sanctuary," is considered in the general context of artists who, according to the curator, "draw on strong feelings of association with the past, revealing a concern for history and a belief that we are inextricably linked to all that came before us. ... Referencing her own personal history, Christina Saj's 'Sanctuary' is a testament to the artist's strong sense of connection to her ancestors."

The work was inspired by a visit to old Ukrainian cemeteries that were part of the village settlement of Ukrainian pioneers to western Canada at the turn of the century.

Much of Ms. Saj's contemporary work explores the symbolism inherent in icon painting in a modern context. "Surviving Symbols," of which this work is a part, explores the assimilation of traditional imagery and composition with contemporary techniques.

Ms. Saj, who holds a graduate degree from the Milton Avery Graduate School for the Arts at Bard College, lives and works in New Jersey. Among her recent exhibits are: "Women Artists of Montclair: Black and White," Nandi Art Gallery, Montclair, N.J., and "The 125th Anniversary Exhibit, UCCA National Art Museum," Kyiv. A collection of her works, based on the "Tree of Life" series is among the works of three New Jersey artists on loan to the American Embassy in Doha, Qatar, as part of the Art in Embassies program.

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Ms. Isaievych's work, an oil and acrylic on canvas titled "Receiving Inspiration," is characterized by Ms. Shevchenko as "giv[ing] visual form to the often-nebulous quality of the inspirational connection."

In her statement, Ms. Isaievych notes that for her "art is inherently about revealing connections with the invisible world of inspiration and about connecting with the magic of the world beyond ourselves."

In her work, she has been exploring "formal connections between line and color, background and foreground, figures and their surrounding environments."

According to the artist, "Receiving Inspiration" is among the works that focus on the integration of human figure and everything around it - both physical objects and fleeting, temporary things that often affect us just as significantly - our thoughts, feelings and expectations."

Ms. Isaievych notes that her work "is evolving into the direction of greater integration among figures and various other shapes, focusing on interconnectedness of all matter on many levels."

Ms. Isaievych, who was born in Lviv and studied in Ukraine and the United States, added that the "Connections" exhibit in Graz "has a special meaning for me as I heard many stories from friends and family members about their experiences of the city."

Ms. Isaiyevych's endeavors at this time are focused on building connections with new sources of inspiration after moving this summer to Los Angeles from the East Coast.

Ms. Isaievych, a native of Lviv, studied art in Ukraine and the United States, earning a degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Ms. Isaievych also holds a graduate degree in economics and public policy from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.

This year Ms. Isaievych has participated in several group shows, including another Studio Montclair exhibit titled "Heartstrings" at the Clifton Arts Center in Clifton, N.J., and the Annual Members' Show at the New Jersey Center for Visual Arts in Summit, N.J.

This spring the Members Gallery at the New Jersey Center for Visual Arts was the host for her large solo exhibit showcasing two years of evolution in her work titled "Trans-Morphologies: Evolving Artwork of Alexandra Isaievych."

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Accompanying the "Connections" exhibit is a full-color catalogue, with a page dedicated to each artist. The catalogue includes letters of greeting from the mayors of Graz and Montclair, Siegfried Nagl and Robert Russo, respectively; and the director of the Montclair State University Galleries, Theresa Rodriguez; as well as an essay by Ms. Shevchenko.

Ms. Shevchenko, an independent curator and freelance art writer, as well as occasional teacher in the field of art history, is currently doing graduate work at Hunter College.

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