Siona Benjamin
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Siona Benjamin (born 11 December 1960) is an Indian-American artist originally from Mumbai, India and now residing in the New York City area.[1]
Siona Benjamin (Kasukar) is originally from Bombay, now living in the New York City area.[2] Her signature work as a multicultural artist reflects her background of being brought up Jewish in a predominantly Hindu and Muslim India.[2] In her paintings, she combines the imagery of her past with the role she plays in America today, making a mosaic of underlying meaning inspired by both Indian miniature paintings and Sephardic icons. She has her first MFA in painting and a second MFA in Theater set design.[3][4] She has exhibited in the US, Canada, Europe, India, and Asia.[5]
Siona has been awarded two Fulbright Fellowships:[3] in Fall 2016, Siona embarked on a new project to take place in Israel titled Motherland to Fatherland: Indian Transcultural Jews;[6] in 2010–11, Siona was awarded an art project titled Faces: Weaving Indian Jewish Narratives.[4] Research for this project was conducted in India,[7] and the first exhibition took place in October 2013 at the Prince of Wales museum in Mumbai, India.
Her work has been featured in a variety of media including: The New York Times,[8][9] The Chicago Tribune,[10] The Philadelphia Inquirer,[11] The Financial Times,[12] The Jewish Week in NYC[13] and NJ, The Boston Globe,[14] The St. Louis Gazette, Art in America, Art New England,[15] Art and Antiques,[16] ArtNews,[4] and Moment magazine. In March 2024, her art was also featured in a new book called The Blue Butterfly of Cochin,[17] written by author Ariana Mizrachi, edited by the Indian Jewish Heritage Center, http://www.indianjews.org/en/, and published by Kalaniot Books.
Siona's original paintings are available and represented by ACA Galleries in New York City.
