Siona Benjamin: Blue-Skinned Figures Bridging Indian and Sephardic Jewish Identity

Siona Benjamin, a Fulbright Fellow, creates artwork that blends Indian and Sephardic Jewish imagery, drawing from her experiences in the Bene Israel community of India and her life in the United States. She possesses two Master of Fine Arts degrees and has showcased her work internationally. Her 2010 Fulbright project, "Faces: Weaving Indian Jewish Narratives," was followed by her 2016 fellowship, which focused on "Motherland to Fatherland: Indian Transcultural Jews in Israel," later captured in the documentary "Blue Like Me." The Bene Israel, the largest Jewish community in India, is thought to have arrived after a shipwreck off the western coast, with many relocating to Israel in 1948. Benjamin's art often portrays mythological women as feminist symbols, with blue skin representing "the other."