b. Muscat, Oman, 1993
based in Amsterdam
Education:
MA Painting
Royal College of Art London, UK 2018-2020
BA Fine Art Academie Minerva Groningen, NL 2013-2017
Selected Exhibitions:
-The Universe Within, Copeland Gallery curated by Latifah Stranack, London, UK, September 2024
- At Land and At Sea, MINT Gallery curated Aida Valdez, Munich, DE, July 2024
- Interplay, Jiuba Art Space, Amsterdam, NL, December 2023
- Atari, No Man’s Art Gallery, Amsterdam, NL, July 2023
- Can You Hear The Wood Whisper?, Lutmastraat 191, Amsterdam, NL, June 2023
- Flour, Flower, WEP Groningen, Groningen NL, September 2022
- Umbel, No Man’s Art Gallery Project Space, Amsterdam NL, August 2022
-Show 2020, Bargehouse, OXO Tower, London UK, June 2022
-Rectangle Roads and Paved Tongues, MAPA Pop Up exhibition, Amsterdam, December 2021
-Open studio Atelier 74, Amsterdam, NL, August, 2021
-Art Vault: RCA in Focus, Kovet.Art, June- October 2021
-50/50, Fold Gallery, London UK, August 2020
-Beacon, Josh Lilley and Vortic Collect, Online, August 2020
-Show 2020, Royal College of Art, Online, July 2020
-Up, Up and Away, Hockney Gallery, London UK, March 2020
-Influencing the Influencer, TORCH Gallery, Amsterdam NL, November 2019
-Nescafe Azera X Time Out London, Truman Brewery, London UK,
June 2019
-It’s A Lot Like Life, Gorvy Lecture Theatre, Royal College of Art, London UK, June 2019
-Brexhibtion,
Courtyard Galleries, RCA, London UK,
April 2019
-We Can Only Have Fun on Certain Days, Warbling Collective x Stour Space, London UK,
April 2019
-Work-In-Progress Show, Royal College of Art, London UK,
January 2019
-MOAM X Paradiso 50 jaar Paradiso, Amsterdam NL, September 2018
-FIEG, Y2, Groningen NL, August 2018
-Paperworks, Corrosia, Almere NL, March 2018
-Another Reassuring Depository of Truths, This Art Fair, Beurs van Berlage Amsterdam NL, December 2017
-A Reassuring Depository of Truths, Oficina Divagar,
Almada PT,
November 2017
-Perspectives, Academie Minerva, Groningen NL,
July 2017
Selected Press:
The Universe Within, interview with Latifah Stranack
The Mater Podcast: Paint with Kirsty Buchanan and Safira Taylor, June 2024
Munthe Interview, Feburary 2024
Residencies:
Oficina Divagar,
Almada PT, October&November 2017
Kunsthuis SYB 24uur Residencies Beetsterzwaag NL, March 2017
Awards and Scholarships:
Corona-overbrugging Kunstenaar Fond, Mondriaan Fonds, 2021
Prins Bernhard Cultuur Fonds, Young Talent Award,
2018
Hans Brinker Budget Trophy, 2015
Artist Statement (November, 2024):
I am working on an on-going series titled msfc (Mother Stands for Comfort). Each painting in this series is painted on second-hand linen sheets, sourced from markets. These sheets are rich with history, carrying marks of wear, repair, and care, often with embroidered initials or darned holes. These details speak to cross-generational sustainability and add depth to my exploration of care and transformation.
I find that these linens evoke a layered, nomadic sense of home and comfort. When painting, I embrace a process that balances deconstruction—cutting and reassembling—with care, layering thinned oil paint. Through the painting’s textured surface, my use of colour, and mark-making, I aim to suggest a sense of labour, struggle, joy, and change, all while connecting to the themes of home, identity, and resilience.
Biography:
Safira Taylor is a painter, currently living and working in Amsterdam. She graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Academie Minerva (Groningen, NL) in 2017 and an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art (London, UK) in 2020.