Noa Charuvi

Construction sites and piles of rubble are reimagined as places of beauty in the striking oil paintings by Israeli artist Noa Charuvi. “I am interested in places of transformation, whether they are deconstructed or constructed, and the forceful human intervention in the space.”

Drawing on memories of growing up in Jerusalem, Charuvi uses her art to address conflict in her home country. “The landscape has so much history, and where I grew up it was always about war,” she says. “I use painting as a documenting tool to interpret the world around me.” Recently, she’s been creating works based on the areas being rebuilt around New York’s World Trade Center site.

Hands-on Process: “I work a lot with a palette knife—I like its connection to construction, and I almost feel like I’m one of the workers.”

Unique Influence: As a child, she’d spend afternoons in her architect father’s office. That experience made her realize the power of architecture as a reflection of history, politics, and social hierarchy.

 A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2019 Late Fall Issue under the headline “Galerie Emerging Artist Award.” Subscribe to the magazine.