Indian Jewish artist turns ‘blue’ at Peninsula JCC

JEWISH NEWS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
By Rob Gloster

“Lilith’s Lair and Other Stories of Deception” (2011) by Siona Benjamin. 39″ x 61″ gouache and mixed media on museum board.

FOSTER CITY, CA---“Very often I look down at my skin and it has turned blue,” says artist Siona Benjamin. “The blue skin has become a symbol for me of being a Jewish woman of color.” Benjamin, who was born in India and now lives in New Jersey, reflects her upbringing as a Bombay Jew in her artwork — which is on display through Sept. 18 at the Peninsula JCC in Foster City. Coming from a Hindu-majority nation in which the revered god Krishna is often depicted as having blue skin, Benjamin said that color represents a sense of crossing cultural lines. “Blue Like Me: Art by Siona Benjamin,” at Peninsula JCC, 800 Foster City Blvd., Foster City. Free. Through Sept. 18. [More]