Born in Oxford, England in 1984, Naomi Safran-Hon grew up in Haifa, Israel. In 2008, Safran-Hon graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Art History from Brandeis University. She further honed her craft by earning a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University School of Art in 2010. Her strong academic background informs her artistic approach, enriching her investigations into the fragility of home and the intricacies of identity.
Throughout her career, Safran-Hon has participated in numerous prestigious residency programs, including the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2012), Art Omi (2016), and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (2019-2020). These experiences have allowed her to engage with diverse communities, refine her artistic voice, and bolster her practice.
Safran-Hon has also been the recipient of several notable awards, including the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant in 2023, the Coleen Brown Art Prize in 2020, and recognition as a finalist for the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship in the same year. Additionally, she was awarded the Francis Greenburger Fellowship in 2016. These accolades reflect her impactful contributions to the field of contemporary art.
Recent solo exhibitions include "Soft Power" at Bonisson Art Center in France (2022) and the forthcoming "SLAG&RX" in New York (2025). Noteworthy prior exhibitions include "House Without Home" at Silber and Rosenberg Art Galleries in Baltimore (2016) and "Fragments of Place," curated by Julie McGuire at Marfa Contemporary in Texas (2017). She has also contributed to significant group exhibitions, such as "Trees" at Les Franciscainnes Art Center in Deauville, France (2022), and "Metamorphosis - Climate Change," curated by Betty Levine at Hearst Tower Galleries in New York (2019). These engagements underscore her ability to address pressing contemporary issues through her art.
Naomi Safran-Hon is a visual artist working across photography, painting, and sculpture. Her work represents a lifelong exploration of the relationship between home and identity, shaped by her experiences growing up in an area of political conflict. Struggling to make sense of the violence she witnessed, Safran-Hon uses her camera as a tool for reimagination,
reflecting on the injustices of the world while expanding her process to incorporate diverse materials. Through this approach, she transforms photographs into dimensional paintings, merging reality with fiction to convey layered, complex narratives.
Safran-Hon’s work challenges traditional modes of image-making in both photography and painting. By blending materiality with meaning, she confronts critical issues related to historical trauma, conflict, and the ongoing effects of displacement. Her pieces invite viewers to reflect on the enduring impact of these experiences and offer a space for personal and collective discourse. Through the integration of complex political narratives with deeply personal expression, Safran-Hon’s work underscores art’s potential to serve as a site for both individual and communal reflection.