Tuesday, Mar 20, 2018
6:00 pm PST - 7:30 pm PST
Lundring Event Center
130 Overton Court
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Free and open to the public
Lecture will begin with a screening of the film “Blue Like Me: The Art of Siona Benjamin,” a documentary about the artist and India’s Bene Israel community, including interviews about the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and their effect on the community. The film was directed and produced by Hal Rifken and is 30 minutes in length.
Artist Siona Benjamin will give an artist talk about her work. Benjamin is a painter originally from Mumbai, now living in the US. Her work reflects her background of being brought up Jewish in a predominantly Hindu and Muslim India. In her paintings she combines the imagery of her past with the role she plays in America today, making a mosaic inspired by both Indian miniature paintings and Sephardic icons.
This lecture is accompanied by a section on the artist’s multicultural childhood. Photos and information about the 2000 year old Indian Jewish community will be embellished with personal photos focusing on her Diasporic Bene Israel Indian Jewish family and life journey.
Benjamin holds an MFA in painting and a second MFA in Theater set design. She has exhibited in the US, Europe and Asia. She has been recently awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in 2010-11 for art project titled: Faces: Weaving Indian Jewish Narratives. Her work has been featured in: The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Financial Times, The Jewish Week in NYC and NJ, The Boston Globe, Art in America, Art New England, Art and Antiques, ArtNews, Moment Magazine and more.
Image: Siona Benjamin, Finding Home No. 74 (Fereshteh) “Lilith”, Gouache and Gold Leaf on Wood Panel, 75 x 58 inches, 2006. Courtesy of the artist.
