Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen has a new show at the Berlin gallery Michael Janssen, called No Man II. In this interview for CoBo, I spoke with him about his process, his conception of his characters as empty shells, and his love for books. Ho Tzu Nyen’s work and ideas are endlessly fascinating for me.
Here is the link to the interview
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Third collaboration with the magazine Art Republik, which has just published my article on Epic Arts Cambodia. This is an outstanding art space in Kampot empowering disabled individuals through art. For this piece I spoke with Epic Arts co-director Sokny Onn.
Here is the link to the pdf version of the article
Here is the link to Art Republik’s website
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CoBo has just published my interview with gallerist Audrey Yeo, director of Yeo Workshop in Singapore. I realized the interview a few months ago and it was greatly inspiring to talk with such an important igniter of the Singaporean art scene.
Here is the link to the interview
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For the Hong Kong webmagazine and collectors’ platform CoBo I usually write about Indonesian and Singaporean artists, and the dynamics of their art systems. It goes without saying that the two art environments are highly connected. Sometimes an event or a show happens which remixes the way the two art systems interact, and that’s precisely what happened with the Super/Natural show in Yogyakarta, by Gajah Gallery.
In this piece I look at this pioneering operation, talking with the gallerist Jasdeep Sandhu and the two curators, trying to ponder what this show meant, and if it can have a legacy for the evolution of both the Singaporean and the Indonesian art systems.
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In freelance writing there is a time to sow and a time to harvest. In the past couple of months I have written a few articles that have been published all in these last few days. It always a joy to see my words in print, so if you are around Singapore grab a copy of this month’s Art Republik.
You will find a piece on two very interesting art spaces in Phnom Penh, with my interviews to the fantastic Meta Moeng and Erin Gleeson, who are both greatly contributing in animating the local art scene.
Here’s the link to the pdf version of the piece
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Even though I have been quite critical of this Venice Biennale as a whole, I still love many of the artists who have exhibited both in the show and in the national pavilions. Lani Maestro, representing Philippines together with Manuel Ocampo, is definitely a favourite. I have been mesmerized by her capacity to unleash the evocative power of language through her neon installations. Cobo has published my interview with her, with the title: “Language Subverting Violence: Lani Maestro at Venice Biennale 2017”.
Here’s the link to the interview
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CoBo has just published my interview with British/Indonesian artist Sinta Tantra, who I visited at her studio at the British School in Rome, where she is doing a residency. As always, every interview is a chance to learn something and often times the words of artists resonate powerfully with my own life.
Here is the link to the interview
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The magazine of the Asia-Europe Foundation Culture360 has just published my interview with Dutch researcher and lecturer in Indonesian Studies at The University of Melbourne Edwin Jurriëns. Edwin has just published a book with Routledge called “Visual Media in Indonesia”, where he analyses how in Indonesia, in the age of digital communication and global capitalism, people’s mental, social and natural environments are interconnected.
Here is the link to the interview
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For the next installment of the series “Heroines Behind Galleries”, CoBo has just published my interview with Singapore Tyler Print Institute’s (STPI) director Emi Eu. It was fun to write a profile, capturing the impression of the woman behind the institution. The interview is also part of my reportage on Singapore contemporary art, soon to become a book!
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I have been a long-time reader of the Singapore-based magazine Art Republik, so it has been above exciting to be a contributor for the latest Crossover Issue. Also, I might be old-fashioned, but as I much as I enjoy writing for online publications, to see my words in print is always a thrilling experience.
The piece is an interview with Vietnamese multimedia artist Lai Dieu Ha who – aside having the coolest name in the world – is also an artist with an extremely interesting and multifaceted practice. Besides, talking with her gave me a small intro to the Vietnamese art scene which I hope to explore more in-depth soon. Next reportage? Who knows!
Here’s the link to Art Republik’s website
CoBo has just published my interview with Indonesian collector Tom Tandio: “Is life about discovering oneself, or is it more about building oneself? If there is an activity which can respond to the evergreen nature/nurture question, that is art collecting.
In the process of grappling with their own identity through art, the best collectors understand that acquiring art is not simply an individualistic pursuit. It is rather about becoming part of an artistic ecosystem, which they can help nurture. Indonesian collector Tom Tandio exemplifies this attitude, modelling an ethic which makes the entire system grow.”
Here is the link to the interview
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My interview with Singaporean artist Fyerool Darma has just been published on CoBo Social. Fyerool works with the forgotten histories of Singapore, drawing from its Malay past. We have recently seen his work at Art Stage Singapore, at the art center Objectifs and in the Singapore Biennale.
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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
