Naomi Santoki is an artist specializing in oil painting. She was born and raised on the island of
O‘ahu and comes from descendants of Japanese and Portugese plantation workers. Driven by this background,
she is interested in preserving Hawai‘i's histories, communities, and environments,
prepetuating the realities of living there, and connecting through shared experiences.
Her work incorporates natural elements and cultural by-products as symbolic representations of
the conflict between hope and future uncertainty. Through organic mark-making and non-local colors,
these oil paintings highlight the distortion of memory and the fluidity of human experience,
striving to balance both the tangible and intangible aspects of culture. The figures
in her paintings are not fix; instead, they exhist in a constant state of transformation,
mirroring the evolving cultural influences that shape our sense of self.
Naomi Santoki received her BFA in Painting from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa in 2025.
Her paintings have been featured in exhibitions such as the MACC Biennial at the Schaefer
International Gallery (2025), Of Mind & of Matter with Manini Gallery (2025), Curator’s
Choice, at Hāpai i ka Mālamalama, Hō‘ikeākea Gallery, and AANHPI Bold Heritage at
SlipStitch Gallery (2026). She has received several honors, including the Geraldine P. Clark
Memorial Fellowship (2024), the David Friedman Legacy Scholarship (2025), and the
Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Painting award (2025).
