Naima Morelli

12-09-2019

Here is the link to the article

In this article for CoBo about Art Jakarta 2019, I take a look at the most interesting artworks at the fair —with a special eye to those who are a bit under the radar.

Published! Moroccan contemporary art on Middle East Monitor

08-05-2019

Here is the link to the article

MoroccoEuropeAfrica

The webmagazine Middle East Monitor has just published my article “While Europe looks at Moroccan art, Moroccan art looks at Africa.” I am developing a growing interest towards this country which has such a rich and diverse culture, and can’t wait to delve deeper. So stay tuned!

Published! Kawita Vatanajyankur on CoBo

03-05-2019

Here is a new article from my reportage in Thailand. I’m particularly fond of this interview with one of the most gentle and strong soul I have encountered in my trip. The piece has been just published by CoBo Social.

THE SINGAPORE SERIES — CHAPTER 20

18-03-2019

Zihan Loo

At the end of 2015, I was wandering around SAM8Q looking for the proverbial exit through the gift shop — as Banksy would put it. I wanted to buy some books to bring back home with me. At the ground floor of the building there was something that appeared to be what I was looking for. Shelves of interesting books, and a few on exhibition. I was thrilled. When I walked in, something was not quite right. I asked the person at the desk: “I’m sorry, this is not the museum bookshop, it is an artwork.”

Damn! This is precisely what I’m talking about when I speak of the problem with contemporary art. The work, he explained, was done by artist Zihan Loo, and was called “Of Public Interest: The Singapore Art Museum Resource Room”. The artist moved 4,500 volumes from the Singapore Art Museum’s resource room — currently not available to public — into the space of a gallery. The public were invited to shape the collection for the duration of the exhibition from August 2015 to March 2016. The conditions were that each visitor was allowed to withdraw one book from the collection, restricting the public access to this book for the duration of the exhibition. These books were shrink-wrapped and placed in a separate area of the installation.

Published! Thai Artists and Spirituality on CoBo

Here is the link to the article

13-11-2018

English, News, Published, Thailand, Uncategorized

ThaiArtistsSpirit

My new article “5 Thai Artists that Connect Us to Spirituality” has just been published on CoBo Social. Some of you may know my new research scope is Thailand, and I’m planning to visit for a reportage in 2019. My previous long-form reportage have been Indonesia (2013), Australia (2014), Singapore (2015-2017) and Cambodia (2018).

So what form do these reportage take in our multimedia world of information and “liquid society” (to quote Zygmunt Bauman)? Well, the form must also be flexible. The bulk of the Indonesia research ended up in a book. My Australian reportage took the shape of a series of articles and an exhibition in Rome. The Cambodian material has also come out as articles. The Singapore research has also become a book which is the process of being published as a web-series, every Monday on this blog and on Medium. For Thailand, I’m planning to realize some videos as well. Will see how it unfolds.

To go back to “5 Thai Artists that Connect Us to Spirituality”; I love to write these kind of pieces because they allow me to look deeply into the practice of artists thematically, and then summarize the essence of their work in few paragraphs. I learn so much from doing this work, and I’m so happy to have the chance to share it with you guys!

Published! Matera European Capital of Culture 2019 on Culture360

10-09-2018

Here is the link to the piece

matera2019
You might have mistaken its historical center – called “the Sassi” – for Jerusalem in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, or Patty Jenkins’ Themyscira in Wonder Woman. In truth, Matera doesn’t have anything to envy neither to the City of David, nor the mythical capital from DC Comics, being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, since the 10th millennium BC.

In my article for Culture360, the webmagazine of the Asia Europe Foundation I spoke with Ariane Bieou, Cultural Manger of the Foundation Matera 2019 about the program for the city as European Capital of Culture for 2019.

Published! Interview with Svay Sareth on CoBo

29-08-2018

SvaySareth
My interview with Cambodian artist Svay Sareth, which took place at the beginning of the year in Siem Reap, has just been published on the webmagazine and platform for collectors CoBo Social. The article is part of my reportage on Cambodian contemporary art.

Published! Artists modelling the Wise Woman on Cobo

13-08-2018

Here is the link to the piece

WiseWoman

A great gift of being an arts writer is that I get the chance to reflect at the learning and teaching from the books I read and the concepts I grapple with in my everyday life, and I can look at how artists articulate interpret them.

I am a big fan of the work of Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, who in her new tome dedicated to the wise woman archetype titled: The Dangerous Old Woman, she tells how senior daring women – considered dangerous for centuries – manifest themselves as creative souls and artists. We have had many examples of their artistic power in the West; from Georgia O’Keeffe to Louise Bourgeois, these artists are today points of reference for the younger generation. But what about the East?

In my new piece for CoBo I presented five amazing women artists hailing from Asia, who connect us with universal wisdom and who were able to reach a unique power of expression.

Published! Interview with Hou Hanru on CoBo

07-07-2018

HouHanru

The webmagazine/collector’s platform CoBo has just published my interview with Hou Hanru, curator and artistic director of the contemporary art museum of Rome MAXXI. In the interview I have found Hanru not only to be a great inquirer of our times through art, but also a person of deep intelligence and kindness. All of that clearly transpires from the shows at the MAXXI, which is the channel for Rome to take part in the international dialogue for contemporary art.

Published! Interview with Vandy Rattana on CoBo

21-03-2018

VandyRattana

More from my latest research/reportage on Cambodian contemporary art! In the second installment of the CoBo’s series on Cambodian photographers, I talk with celebrated artist Vandy Rattana, who gives out a critical viewpoint on the art scene in the country.

Published! Interview with Umibaizurah Mahir Ismail on CoBo

02-03-2018

The webmagazine and collector’s platform CoBo has just published my interview with artist Umibaizurah Mahir Ismail, who is known to pushing the boundaries of ceramic work in Malaysia.