SAJ ISSA is a Palestinian American artist born in Saint Louis and raised between the Midwest and West Bank, Palestine. She received her BFA from Webster University and her MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles. Issa was one of three artists selected for the 2024 Great Rivers Biennial, which will open at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis in September and will include the artist's "Poppy Paintings" which has been presented in Artforum along with a portfolio of her practice. She has held residencies at the Belger Crane Yard Studios in Kansas City, MO, and Craft Alliance in Saint Louis. Issa was a recipient of the 2022 NCECA Graduate Student Fellowship. She has been featured in interviews with Hyperallergic, Juxtapoz, Khama, New American Paintings, the New Yorker, and Office Magazine.