PRESS RELEASE: Jewish Identity Through Art

Team Be’chol Lashon, November 18, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lacey Schwartz
V. 415.386.2604
NewYork@bechollashon.org
www.bechollashon.org

Siona Benjamin

San Francisco, November 18, 2010—Growing up in Bombay, surrounded by Hindus and Muslims, attending Catholic and Zoroastrian schools, Siona Benjamin’s paintings reflects the multitude of cultural and religious traditions that were part of her Jewish childhood. Her artwork is filled with bright colors often associated with Indian art, traditional Jewish images, and strong female figures, expressing the complexities and nuances of modern Jewish identity.

Benjamin’s work is at the center of an exhibition celebrating Jewish diversity, called Generation D: Identities. A collaboration between Be’chol Lashon, Jewish Art Salon, and the Flomenhaft Gallery Annex, the show showcases the myriad Jewish artistic expression that capture the range of modern Jewish identity and expression. According to Lacey Schwartz, Be’chol Lashon Director of Outreach, “Partnering with Jewish Art Salon connects to our strong belief in the power of art to get people thinking and talking about issues of Jewish identity.” The range of work, which features more than twenty artists in total, challenges preconceptions about what it means to be Jewish and offers new perspectives on Jewish identity.

Generation D: Identities is curated by Julian Voloj and Elke Reva Sudin. “Who is a Jew and what is typically Jewish? In an increasingly diverse American society, American Judaism presents itself in many different forms, and these Judaisms are as multi-layered culturally as they are ethnically or religiously,” says Julian Voloj. “While preconceptions shape our image of ourselves and of “others” and our sense of belonging to a group, this exhibition showing diverse answers to the question of Jewish identity challenge these simplifications.”

Generation D: Identities
Tuesday, Dec. 14, 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Flomenhaft Gallery Annex, 547 W 27 Street, Suite 528, New York
Co-sponsored by the Jewish Art Salon, Flomenhaft Gallery and Be’chol Lashon.

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