Uk/Aussie webmagazine ArtsHub has just published my highlights from the 56th Venice Biennale. With so much good work around and so many interesting shows it has been difficult to narrow down my selection to ten… but here we go!
Here’s the link to the article
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My article on Voyage Trokomod, Heri Dono’s work for the Venice Biennale, has just been published on Alias – the special edition of the Italian newspaper Il Manifesto – with the title “Between horse and Komodo dragon – the bestiary between east and west”. It is a great honour for me to contribute to Il Manifesto, which had such an important history! If you live in Italy I recommend you to grab a copy of Alias in the newsstands; this edition is all about the Biennale. I’ll be off to Venice next week and look forward to meet Heri and the curators from the Indonesian Pavilion in Venice.
Here’s the link to the online version of the article
For a thorough introduction to Indonesian contemporary art, have a look at my book (in Italian). Find more about it here.
Uk/Aussie webmagazine ArtsHub has just published my article on how the online competition model and design crowdsourcing are impacting the design industry. It’s a tough world for creatives here on the internet people!
Here’s the link to the article
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Tuesday, April 28 at 6pm PAN | Palazzo delle Arti Napoli will host the presentation of the book “Arte Contemporanea in Indonesia, un’introduzione” by Naima Morelli. The presentation, supported of the Consulate General of Indonesia in Naples, will be introduced by curator Maria Savarese with the partecipation of Matteo Basilé, Antonia Soriente, Professor of Language and Literature at the University of Indonesia L’Orientale of Naples, Valentina Levy, curator and Asian art historian and Vincenzo Montella, director of the center of art and culture Il Ramo d’Oro.
The book is an introduction to Indonesian contemporary art, which now occupies a prominent place in the international art scene, from both a market and cultural standpoint. Placing itself in the dialectic between the global and the local, the book analyzes how in Indonesia the cultural, artistic, political and social context have influenced four generations of artists. The author guides the reader in the contemporary art places in Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Bandung and Bali, looking for the answer to the question: is there really something called Indonesian contemporary art?
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A waterfall, tropical plants and artisan workshops. Who would ever guess to find all that straight out of the Laurentina metro station – the infamous Rome metro B terminal? Thanks to the art of young artist Alessandro Sabong – who painted Laurentina’s stairway – that is precisely what you will see. From his beginnings as a street artist, Alessandro attended two different painting courses before entering the prestigious Scuola d’Arte della Medaglia della Zecca dello Stato. In this third video realized with Roman news agency TeenPress, we talk to an everyday guy with a curiosity and willingness to experiment out of the norm. And now for the video (in Italian)
My review of the Art Paris Art Fair (in Italian) has just been published on the web magazine Art a Part of Culture with the title “South East Asia in Paris. If we are not going to Singapore, Singapore is coming to us”. In the article I go into the role of Singapore as a hub for South East Asia, as discussed in an interesting talk at the fair, and the other related events going on in France at the moment.
Here’s the link to the article
If you are new to that and want to start learning about contemporary art in South East Asia, I have a book (in Italian) who gives an introduction about Indonesian contemporary art. Find more about it here.
I have been writing for magazines since 2007, but the excitement to see my articles out in the world never wears out! So here I am again on the Sunday edition of the Times of Malta. This piece is about Memorie Urbane, one of the biggest street art festivals in Europe, which takes place all over the Lazio region in Italy. I recently had a chat with Festival’s founder-curator and cultural entrepreneur Davide Rossillo.
Here’s the link to the article
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I have just came back from two weeks in Paris. It has been an incredible time. I was there for the Art Paris Art Fair and the exhibition Secret Archipelago at the Palais De Tokyo – yet again on a reporting mission for Art a Part of Cult(ure), the Italian magazine I write for. My boss at Art a Part is the M to my Bond, the Charlie to my Angels, the Xavier to my X-Men, well, you get my drift! In Paris I’ve met with a number of interesting people and had chats with artists I wanted to talk to from a long time, including Eddie Hara and Richard Streitmatter-Tran.
The first week has been a whirlwind of interviews. I already knew what it means to do three interviews in a day – I did it before, and it was crazy! But five interviews in a day? That’s don’t-try-this-at-home insane! Luckily enough, I generally feel energized by working under pressure. Plus, all the artists and gallerists I talked with have been super nice. I can’t wait to share their interviews with you! In this situation it also helped to have the most amazing sidekick a journalist can ever had, a gorgeous Sorrentinian gal called Marta, who also hosted me in Paris. We jumped from metro to metro chatting endlessly about everything from Catilina (ancient republican Rome anyone?) to haircuts, all that while chewing a pan au chocolat (aux amandes, aux pistaches…) and rushing to the next interview.
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Uk/Aussie webmagazine ArtsHub has just published my article on community-funded journalism. I feel today is particularly important – and sometimes also fun -for journalist to keep up with the changes in the industry. Besides, after researching for this article I’m almost tempted to give crowdfunding a go!
Here’s the link to the interview
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British webmagazine Middle East Monitor has just published my interview with Italian researcher Luce Lacquaniti, author of the upcoming book “I Muri di Tunisi: Segni di Rivolta” (The Walls of Tunis: Signs of Revolt). I walked away from interviewing Luce inspired and excited – she is extremely knowledgeable and passionate with her subject matter. Plus her research has all the elements that I’ve always loved – the people, the art and the revolution. I really can’t wait for her book to come out!
Here’s the link to the interview
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The Australian webmagazine RAVEN has just published my guide to the art galleries in Rome – I wish I has something like this when I first came to the Eternal city! But I’ve to say, it has been an amazing quest to discover all the galleries little by little – my constant practice as a vernissage gal has finally paid off! For this guide I’ve planned an itinerary which includes meals and gelato breaks. If you are in really a good mood you might get to visit all the galleries enlisted in one go!
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Here I am with my inevitable red hat, in the third video realized by the news agency TeenPress. In a previous post I already mentioned my participation to this project by the association Arciragazzi Roma, targeted to young adults. Questionable logo, but heaps of passion. For this report I interview the people behind the publishing house Biancoenero. In Italy they have been the first to create children books marked by what they call “high readability”. That means books easily readable by kids affected by dyslexia, cognitive problems or simply “reluctant readers”. It’s always such fun realizing these reports and it gives us also a chance to sneak into amazing Roman buildings. And now for the video (in Italian)
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
