Zodiac Floor at the Central Reform Congregation, St. Louis
As a Bene Israel Jew from India now living in the United States, I am a Jewish artist creating cross cultural and transcultural art. My perspective bridges the traditional and the modern, and sparks discourse across cultures. Having grown up in a Hindu and Muslim society, educated in Catholic and Zoroastrian schools, raised Jewish in India, and now calling America home, I have always had to reflect on cultural boundary zones.
Siona Benjamin has an MFA in painting from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Illinois, and an MFA in theater set design from the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign. She has exhibited in the United States, Europe and Asia. She was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in 2011 to India, and a second Fulbright fellowship in 2016-17 to Israel. As not just a Jewish artist but also as one who crosses cultural boundaries, she’s received praise in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Financial Times, The Boston Globe, Art in America, Art New England, Art and Antiques, ArtNews, Moment magazine, The Times of India, The Mumbai Mirror, Marg Magazine, and other publications. Her multicultural art has also been featured in The Jewish Week in New York City and New Jersey, The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, and other publications.
Siona Benjamin is based in Northern New Jersey USA