Image by Martina Tuaty, courtesy of Fountainhead Arts
Navot Miller (b. 1991; Shadmot Mehola, Israel) positions himself as an observer, using his practice as a record of life's fleeting moments of passion, heartache, and banality. Miller’s work hinges on a freewheeling sense of intimism, attuned to glimpses of companionship and solitude in quietly arresting, disarming compositions. In his paintings, the artist transforms casual cell phone snapshots into vivid scenes of community, centering an international constellation of queer life that spans his home bases of New York City, Berlin, and beyond. Miller’s work is grounded in his experiences as a gay, Jewish immigrant living across Germany and America, finding pleasure and solace within the scaffolding of contemporary life.
The figures in Miller’s paintings are his muses, positioned as protagonists of scenes that take third-person cues from Edward Hopper and Alex Katz. The artist’s visual language shifts between grounded realism and a flatness of form rendered with saturated pinks, yellows, blues, and greens. Informed by his initial training in architecture, an attention to setting is evident in Miller’s work, which sets figures amid deep picture planes, framed by detailed arches and windows rendered with idealized perspective. A big-picture gaze emerges across mediums, and to date, Miller’s practice encompasses painting, video, and public murals. Through it all, he celebrates scenes from life with a brazenly colorful palette, an exclamation of joy, intimacy, and undeniable presence.
Navot Miller has exhibited internationally, with solo exhibitions across Berlin, London, and New York City, among others. His work has also been shown in group exhibitions at Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the Jewish Museum of Australia. In 2025, two of Miller’s works were acquired by the Jewish Museum Berlin. He has participated in various residencies, including Fountainhead in Miami, ISCP in Brooklyn, and Tracey Emin’s residency program in Margate. Miller received his MFA from Weissensee Academy of Art Berlin and lives and works in New York.