Published | Naima Morelli

Published! Myanmar art scene came to unrest on Southeast Asia Globe

02-11-2022

Burma, Interview, News, Published, Reportage, Research

How a burgeoning Myanmar art scene came to sudden unrest

I wrote once again on the Myanmar art scene for the webmagazine Southeastasia Globe. It’s my first collaboration with them, and it was great to put together a piece which included a number of interviews to artists and other figures in the art world such as Chaw Ei Thein, Louis Ho, Moe Satt, Bart Was Not Here, Nathalie Johnston, Ilaria Benini and Richie Nath.

Most of them had to flee the country, but they were able gave me a picture of the developments of the art scene over the last few years, and how these were abruptly stopped by the recent military coup.

Here is the link to the piece

Published! Middle Eastern presence at Paris Art Week

By: Naima Morelli

01-11-2022

Interview, Middle East, News, North Africa, North Africa, Published

Le Monnaye de Paris, ASIA NOW’s location [Naima Morelli]

With its two leading art fairs, Paris + Art Basel and ASIA NOW, as well as exhibitions scattered around the city, Paris Art Week 2022 had an extensive presence of Middle Eastern artists and galleries, and paid strong attention to the current situation in Iran.

I wrote the story for Middle East Monitor.

Here is the link to the article

Published! Burmese contemporary art under dictatorship on Il Manifesto

By: Naima Morelli

01-11-2022

Burma, Essay, Interview, News, Published

It always feels good to be published in Italian, and on paper as well! This is my second time to write about contemporary Southeast Asian art for the Italian newspaper Il Manifesto, and the issue I’m looking at is particularly important to highlight for the international community.

I have started to interview a number of Burmese artists who fled the country since the military coup, which happened on 1 February 2021, and other figures in the Myanmar art scene. Their experience is incredibly valuable, and while I speak with them, I also learn what was becoming of the art scene in Burma, and the incredible culture they hailed from.

This new research will take the shape of different articles on different magazines. The cover of the cultural Saturday pages of Il Manifesto, called “Alias”, was entirely dedicated to Burma, and they featured two pieces of mine.

Here is the link to the article online

Published! Morocco’s women martial artists defy cultural stereotypes

By: Naima Morelli

14-10-2022

Interview, North Africa, Published, Research

Morocco's Btissam Sadini (L) competes against Serbia's Jovana Prekovic in the women's kumite -61kg elimination round of the karate competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 6, 2021.

In this story for Al-Monitor I spoke with four Moroccan female martial arts athletes about cultural stereotypes and how to inspire and empower future generations of female fighters.

Here is the link to the article

Published! Women in the Oman’s contemporary art scene

By: Naima Morelli

14-10-2022

Interview, Middle East, News, Published, Research

Women artists are gaining more and more relevance and traction in the contemporary art scene in Oman. Although the history of Omani women in art is fairly recent, their work conveys their singular experience and perspective within a continuously evolving culture.

Their artworks are also truly innovative in terms of the use of new technologies and their aesthetics; they’re aligned with the latest trends in contemporary art, yet steeped in historical research. I wrote the story for Middle East Monitor

Here is the link to the article

Published! Interview with Alia Zaal on Middle East Monitor

By: Naima Morelli

26-09-2022

English, Interview, Middle East, News, Published

Responding to Impressionism, UAE artist Alia Zaal studied the natural landscapes of Vétheuil, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, both in their natural and artificial ecosystems, finding connections between her own UAE landscape and the impressionist one. The artist reimagines familiar scenes of the sea, the desert and the city lit by the sun, the moon and street lights.

I have interviewed Alia Zaal for Middle East Monitor.

Here is the link to the piece

Published! SEA at 2022 Venice Biennale on PluralArtMag

By: Naima Morelli

14-09-2022

Essay, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, News, Philippines, Published, Reportage, Singapore, Vietnam, Visit

Finally my piece on the Venice Biennale 2022 has been published by Plural Art Mag. While the piece was written in the aftermath of the opening, it came out just now, given the webmagazine’s editorial schedule.

The article is a report, as well as an overview, and it is focused on the Southeast Asian presence, which this year was much smaller compared to previous years.

Here is the link to the piece

Published! Writers retelling Libya’s history on Al-Jazeera

By: Naima Morelli

01-09-2022

Libya, News, North Africa, Published, Research

Two Libyan women walk past graffiti depicting Muammar Gaddafi

My first article for Al Jazeera has just been published. It’s called “The writers retelling Libya’s history through a feminist lens” and tells how Libya’s women novelists (but not exclusively them) are reframing the country’s stories in a post-Gaddafi era.

I worked on it for a long time, and it was very satisfying to get to write a longform piece with a bit more of a narrative style. Also, I got to know this county a little deeper, not just through its visual art but also through literature. For the piece I have interviewed, among others, writers Kawther Eljehmi, Maryem Salama, Manuela Piemonte Mahbuba Khalifa, and Mariza d’Anna, and publisher Ghassan Fergiani.

Here is the link to the piece

Published! Curating Eddy Susanto in Venice on Plural Art Mag

By: Naima Morelli

30-08-2022

English, Essay, Indonesia, Italy, News, Published

There is but one truth spoken in many different languages. This belief lies at the core of Indonesian artist Eddy Susanto’s practice. With his artworks that examine the cultures of Europe and Java, he signals to us that while the forms, protagonists and settings of each culture’s mythologies differ, they ultimately convey similar fundamental truths about humanity.

Over the years, Eddy Susanto has reframed how the East and West meet. The Jakarta-born, Yogyakarta-based artist is on a mission to uncover the culture and seminal texts which are the patrimony of the Javanese. However, some of these have been forgotten over time, due to reasons such as the limits of oral transmission, the impact of colonialism and, later on, mass culture.

I have written about Eddy Susanto’s show I have curated in Venice for Plural Art Mag.

Here is the link to the piece

Published! Interview with Patrick Flores on ArtAsiaPacific

By: Naima Morelli

03-08-2022

Interview, Philippines, Published, Research, Taiwan

I’m really happy to share this incredibly interesting interview with curator Patrick Flores, whose curatorial work and research I greatly admire, and never fails to expands my imagination and understanding of the role of contemporary art.

Also, it’s my first collaboration with ArtAsiaPacific. Being one of the most authoritative magazines about contemporary art in Asia, it’s a pleasure and an honour to have contributed with my writing!

Here is the link to the interview

Published: Mongolian Artist Munkhtsetseg Jalkhaajav’s Visceral Art At The Venice Biennale

By: Naima Morelli

23-07-2022

Interview, Italy, News, Published

One of the most recognised contemporary Mongolian artists, Mugi has presented at the Venice Biennale a show titled “A Journey Through Vulnerability” exploring the concept of samsara, compassion, and healing.

I have interviewed the artist at the Mongolian Pavilion in Venice for CoBo Social.

Here is the link to the piece

Published: Taiwan Pavilion at 2022 Venice Biennale

By: Naima Morelli

18-07-2022

Essay, Interview, News, Published, Taiwan

Filipino curator Patrick Flores really likes the word “complicated.”

He actually uses it a lot as a verb: “complicating.” I find this lexical choice so compelling that sitting across him at a Formica table in a bare room in Palazzo delle Prigioni, Venice, I can’t help but ask, “You use the word ‘complicating’ a lot. Is it for you a good thing, a bad thing, or a neutral thing? Tell me about it!”

For a little bit of context, we are speaking at the Venice Biennale, during its opening days. Taiwan’s National Pavilion – which is actually not a national pavilion at all, but instead an ‘official collateral show,’ since Taiwan is, of course, not considered a nation – is being presented at the Palazzo delle Prigioni.

I wrote about the Taiwanese Pavilion for Plural Art Mag.

Here is the link to the piece

Naima Morelli

Published! Myanmar art scene came to unrest on Southeast Asia Globe

Published! Middle Eastern presence at Paris Art Week

Published! Burmese contemporary art under dictatorship on Il Manifesto

Published! Morocco’s women martial artists defy cultural stereotypes

Published! Women in the Oman’s contemporary art scene

Published! Interview with Alia Zaal on Middle East Monitor

Published! SEA at 2022 Venice Biennale on PluralArtMag

Published! Writers retelling Libya’s history on Al-Jazeera

Published! Curating Eddy Susanto in Venice on Plural Art Mag

Published! Interview with Patrick Flores on ArtAsiaPacific

Published: Mongolian Artist Munkhtsetseg Jalkhaajav’s Visceral Art At The Venice Biennale

Published: Taiwan Pavilion at 2022 Venice Biennale

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