Noa Heyne (b. 1982, Israel/Palestine), has been based in Berlin for the past six years. She studied sculpture and fine arts, receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and later from the New York School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture, and her MFA from the Rinehart School of Sculpture, Maryland Institute College of Art. Heyne’s art is often rooted in themes of belonging and loss, focusing on the idea of home as a site of personal sanctuary and collective memory. Her installations navigate the complex terrain between preservation and renewal, questioning how architecture serves as both a physical and emotional map of history.

Heyne’s work “Home Taxidermy” was developed in 2018-2019 as part of an artist residency program she participated in the ZK/U (Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik). In 1942, Arthur and Rose Bernstein, Heyne’s grandparents, were deported to Auschwitz from Güterbahnhof Moabit (Moabit’s freight station), located just one km from the ZK/U. The work consists of movable decorated tiles and concrete slabs, symbolizing the reconstruction of homes and memories in a new place. Inspired by historical tile production in Europe and Palestine, the piece invites viewers to engage closely with layers of history as they interact with the installation. The tiles are attached to a system of pulleys, and when shifted they reveal drawings of an architectural floor plan on the slabs below. This floor plan belongs to an old Templar house in Jerusalem where the artist once lived, a structure emblematic of the German Templar presence in Palestine, a history that intersects with colonialism, industrialization, and migration. The work addresses the attempts of individuals and communities to rebuild their homes in foreign lands. Heyne uses architectural forms and the metaphor of taxidermy – preserving something that is no longer alive – to explore the fragile balance between preservation and restoration.

Later, her installation “Cities of Refuge“, created during the 2021 LABA Berlin fellowship, expanded on these themes by exploring the idea of transformation. Collaborating with Tomer Zirkilevich and Anna Mirkin, Heyne incorporated elements such as shifting rocks that symbolize change and agency within structures. Inspired by the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, the work framed the repeated movement of materials as a metaphor for the continuous construction and deconstruction of safe spaces. Here, the audience was invited to reflect on their role in shaping environments and narratives, an act that mirrors the broader human struggle to navigate forces beyond one’s control.

Noa Heyne’s perspective on the events of October 7 and the war on Gaza can thus be seen as an extension of her ongoing exploration of themes of displacement, memory, and identity, which are central to her artistic practice. She views the trauma of October 7 and the subsequent response within Israeli society as a complete breakdown of former narratives and identities and as what has enabled, as in previous events of this nature, the ruthless attack on Palestinian civilians who are perceived as the enemy. In this context, Heyne’s work gains a deeper significance, as it deals with the question of how traumatic historical events shape individual and collective experiences of home. By engaging with architectural forms and interactive elements, she not only addresses the physical aspects of rebuilding, but also delves into the emotional and historical layers associated with places marked by war and displacement. For Heyne, the recent escalation of violence is another chapter in the ongoing struggle to negotiate identity and belonging in a landscape where histories and narratives are constantly shifting.