Michal Na’aman studied at the Art College, Ramat Hasharon, and received a Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature and art history from Tel Aviv University in 1974. Inspired by artist Raffi Lavie (1937–2007), she joined his influential circle. Since 1977, she has taught at HaMidrasha School of Art.
In the 1970s, M. Na’aman’s art explored feminist themes, critiqued Jewish traditions and challenged established thinking. Her works debuted in a group exhibition at Gallery 201 in Tel Aviv in 1972. She participated in the 1974 exhibition Five Young Artists at the Kibbutz Art Gallery in Tel Aviv, together with Tamar Getter (1953–), David Ginton (1947–), Nahum Tevet (1946–), and Efrat Natan (1947–). Included in the exhibition was the photo-documentation Daughter of Israel (1974), which incorporated a text derived from Jewish ultra-Orthodox cautionary notices regarding modesty. The text was inscribed on a piece of paper affixed to her arm, reminiscent of a splint.

M. Na’aman’s artwork The Eyes of the Nation (1974) holds immense cultural significance in Israel. The installation featured a handwritten signpost with the Hebrew phrase “the eyes of the nation”, which was placed on the Tel Aviv shore for three days. The phrase originated from a quote in a TV interview with a soldier recounting the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He explained that before the intense battle for Hermon Mountain, they were told that the mountain represented “the eyes of the nation”. M. Na’aman’s satirical gesture of placing cardboard signs facing the Mediterranean Sea questioned the concept of sacrifice following the tragic loss of lives during the war. The work garnered widespread acclaim and was included in the title of the 1998 exhibition Perspectives on Israeli Art of the Seventies: The Eyes of the Nation, Visual Art in a Country Without Boundaries, at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

From 1978 to 1980, M. Na’aman studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She rediscovered painting techniques during this time and incorporated the Rabbit-Duck figure into her work. Originally used by psychologist Joseph Jastrow and then made known by Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations (1953), the figure became a recurring motif in M. Na’aman’s subsequent artworks. These artworks feature a cross-like arrangement of newspaper strips, showcasing the Rabbit-Duck alongside English text exploring identity.

In 1986, M. Na’aman was featured in the monumental exhibition The Want of Matter: A Quality in Israeli Art, at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. In the 1990s, she created a notable series of paintings using oil-painted canvas and masking tape. The tape forms abstract geometric structures, evoking weaving techniques symbolising the shedding of skin and layers while also representing the passage of time.

M. Na’aaman has received prestigious awards and grants, such as the Sandberg Prize (2002), the Eva Pundik Prize for Israeli Art (2008) and the Israel Prize in the field of visual arts (2014). She represented Israel at the 40th Venice Biennale in 1982, alongside Tamar Getter (1953–). Her works are featured in prominent collections, including the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.