FULBRIGHT ART SERIES

From Motherland to Fatherland: Transcultural Indian Jews in Israel

Siona received her first Fulbright India-US fellowship in 2011, when she began conducting research and interviewing Jews in India. She produced a Fulbright art collection of 40 photo-collage paintings, “Faces: Weaving Indian Jewish Narratives.” The project led to a documentary film, “Blue Like Me: The Art of Siona Benjamin,” which has been screened at numerous film festivals and other venues. Meet the people in the images.

Faces: Weaving Indian Jewish Narratives

Siona received a second Fulbright fellowship, this time for Fulbright Israel, to extend the multicultural identity dialogue of Indian Jews in Israel. With 3-D printed Lenticular portraits, she documented the faces, stories, and heritage of this ancient group within her Fulbright art series. These faces are maps, linking Siona to childhood memories and weaving narratives of this transcultural world. With these people and their stories the rest of the world has an opportunity to learn about Indian Jews. In these divided, tenuous times Siona works to educate and, as an immigrant artist, find “home” again.