A collection can represent many different things; it can be a statement, contribution, research, even a love story. In the case of retired German doctor, Christoph Bendick, who has worked in Phnom Penh for 25 years, it’s the story of an encounter with a country whose painful recent history is interlaced with the resilience and strength of its people.
I have interviewed the collector for the Singapore-based magazine Plural.
Here is the link to the interview
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Many of us have misconceptions and preconceived ideas about the art scene in the Gulf countries. Hence, when we see the work of a gallery like Hunna/ هُنَّ — founded this year and representing eight women artists from the Gulf — we open our eyes in disbelief.
How can these artists possibly talk about such thorny issues, like questions of power or the female body, and get away with it? We speak about it on Middle East Monitor with the founder of Hunna, gallerist Océane Sailly
Here is the link to the interview
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My second article for the collector’s webmagazine Larry’s List is an interview to Italian fashion mogul and collector Luciano Benetton.
Dubbed “Imago Mundi”, his collection and world-wide project spans from New Zealand to Burkina Faso, covering 80 countries for a total of over 10,000 artworks.
Here is the link to the interview
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I have been researching and writing about Indonesian contemporary art since 2012 – for almost ten years now – and it’s incredible to see always new exceptional talent emerge from this country.
Balinese artist Citra Sasmita has been on my radar as one of the most interesting emerging artists out there. Her work is visually captivating and luring, and so important in terms of bringing forth new narratives of freedom, empowerment and liberation, for women and beyond. These are the stories, the art we need.
By now, if you follow my writing, you’ll know that I’m mesmerized by works that reinterpret old mythologies in the contemporary context, delve into history by mixing high brow and low brow, eastern and western archetypes. And in that, Sasmita’s work is quite something.
I have spoken to Citra Sasmita for Singapore-based Plural art magazine.
Here is the link to the interview
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Every time I write something for the webmagazine Art a Part of Culture, it’s always like a coming home. This was one of the first magazines I started writing for, more than 10 years ago now, and the amazing team of Barbara, Isabella and Gianpaola still lovely supports my every project.
This time I got the chance to delve into the back story behind my new graphic novel “The Mighty Hour”. I explored a period in history – that of the Italy of the ’30s, where women were reclaiming room for themselves as athletes.
It’s quite interesting and timely to look at this part of women empowerment, as the Olympics just drew to a close
Here is the link to the article (in Italian)
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Naima Morelli is an arts writer and journalist specialized in contemporary art from Asia-Pacific and the MENA region.
She has written for the Financial Times, Al-Jazeera, The Art Newspaper, ArtAsiaPacific, Internazionale and Il Manifesto, among others, and she is a regular contributor to Plural Art Mag, Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye as well as writing curatorial texts for galleries.
She is the author of three books on Southeast Asian contemporary art.
Reach out: contact [at] naimamorelli.com
