Siona Benjamin, a Jewish-Indian artist, uses the imagery of blue-skinned individuals in her paintings. It’s both a metaphor and a reflection of her upbringing.
She writes, “I regularly look down at my skin and it has turned blue.” “It tends to do that when I encounter folks classifying and labeling people who are different from themselves. As a result, I’ve painted a lot of blue-skinned characters over the years. This blue self-portrait takes on a variety of roles and forms, allowing me to examine ancient and current challenges in a theatrical setting.”
Blue skin can reflect the “different” but also “normal” for Benjamin, a self-described “transcultural artist.” It’s a method for figures like the Indian goddess Kali and the blue god Krishna to express their stories in her paintings. For Benjamin, it is also a personal symbol of her existence as a Jewish woman of color.
Source: http://www.jewishledger.com/2017/03/blue-like-indian-jewish-artist-brings-culture-life/
