Naima Morelli

Published! Interview with Mariem Abutaleb for Markaz Review

06-03-2026

English, Interview, Middle East, North Africa, Published

In the work of the young Egyptian artist Mariem Abutaleb , the Arabic language and alphabet become a symphony of signs that attempts to remove barriers. “When writing transcends readability, it’s meant to be felt,” says the artist. Her work is a visual demonstration of this idea.

From afar, her work looks as familiar as calligraphy, it’s only by coming close that one realizes she’s not referencing a specific language. And it’s precisely in this fluid approach that her artistic practice lies.

I have interviewed the artist for The Markaz Review.

Here is the link to the interview

Published! Review of The Only Way Out Is Through for ArtAsiaPacific

By: Naima Morelli

04-03-2026

Uncategorized

Dubai: The Only Way Out Is Through: The Twentieth Line

For anyone who has spent time at Alserkal Avenue, The Third Line needs little introduction. Since opening in 2005, at a moment when Dubai’s cultural infrastructure was still tentative and often viewed with skepticism, the gallery has become one of the most consistent presences in the city’s art ecology.

I saw the show and wrote a review for ArtAsiaPacific

Here is the link to the piece

Published! 421 Arts Campus for ArtAsiaPacific

By: Naima Morelli

04-03-2026

English, Essay, Interview, Middle East, News, Published, Reportage, Research, Review, Visit

The Gulf’s Anti-Institution: 421 Arts Campus

421 contradicts several preconceived ideas the West might hold about the UAE art scene, often associated with large institutions projecting national ambition outward, from the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the forthcoming Guggenheim to the Sharjah Biennial. Taking another approach, 421 operates on a smaller scale, with slower timing and direct relationships with artists.

I visited 421 Art Campus and reported for ArtAsiaPacific.

Here is the link to the piece

Published! 24 Hours in Oslo on IFDM

By: Naima Morelli

19-02-2026

Collection, Europe, Italiano, Published, Research, Visit

Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway - Photo © Kiev.Victor

I have written a city guide of Oslo for the magazine IFDM: from the traditional houses of Grünerløkka to avant-garde architecture and contemporary design, here’s my 24-hour itinerary to uncover the many faces of a constantly evolving capital.

Here’s the link to the article (in Italian)

Published! 1-54 Marrakech on Observer

By: Naima Morelli

12-02-2026

News, North Africa, Published, Reportage, Research, Visit

A visitor wearing a headscarf stands in a gallery space with bright blue walls, looking at two large abstract paintings framed in light wood, one composed of organic pastel shapes and the other of interlocking geometric forms.

The 2026 edition of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair Marrakech is smaller than in previous years. The number of galleries has been reduced, the fair occupies a tighter footprint and the broader media conversation has largely shifted further east.

The city itself, however, tells a different story. This year, the boutique fair operated in dialogue with exhibitions spread across the city, keeping visitors constantly engaged—if not by the energy of Marrakech itself, then by a program that extends far beyond the walls of La Mamounia, the state-of-the-art hotel where the fair takes place.

I reported from the fair for Observer.

Here is the link to the piece

Published! S.E.A. Focus Gets a Boost from Art SG on Observer

By: Naima Morelli

27-01-2026

Published, Reportage, Research, Singapore, Singapore Series

A selection of paintings on temporary walls in an art fair in a warehouse like space

My piece about the Singapore art week was published by Observer. The consolidation highlights the tension between scale and specificity of the fairs Art SG and SEA Focus, prompting questions about how regional narratives can retain clarity and resonance in an increasingly globalized marketplace.

Here is the link to the article

Published! Interview with Malina Suleiman for the New Arab

By: Naima Morelli

23-01-2026

Middle East, News, Published

First, you smell it. Then you see it. The encounter with Afghan artist Malina Suliman’s work at Riga’s annual contemporary art exhibition, Survival Kit 16, is first and foremost olfactory — therefore primal. It enters the body before it enters the intellect.

Malina, who began her practice with street murals and clandestine painting, now constructs environments that behave like living organisms: smelling, staining, ageing, and transforming.

I have interview the artist for The New Arab

Here is the link to the interview

Published! Come bypassare l’occidente su il Manifesto

By: Naima Morelli

23-01-2026

Korea, Middle East, Published, Review

The relationship between Korea and the Gulf countries is longer and more complex than it may seem. These ties have shifted from oil and construction to culture, and the exhibition “Proximities” at Sema, the contemporary art museum of Seoul testifies that.

I saw the exhibition and reviewed it (in Italian) for il Manifesto.

Here is the link to the article

Published! Interview with Oyjon Khayrullaeva for Times of Central Asia

By: Naima Morelli

16-01-2026

Central Asia, Interview, Published

Recipes for Broken Hearts: The Bukhara Biennale as Heritage Spectacle and Critical Absence - ARTMargins Online

In recent years, a new generation of Uzbek artists has begun to reshape how culture, history, and identity are visually narrated.

Among them is Oyjon Khayrullaeva, whose practice moves fluidly between photography, digital collage, and large-scale public installations.

I have interviewed the artist for Times of Central Asia.

Here is the link to the interview

Published! Ala Younis at NYU Abu Dhabi for ArtAsiaPacific

By: Naima Morelli

10-01-2026

Uncategorized

Ala Younis’s “Past of a Temporal Universe”

Gigantic rulers and compasses appear throughout Ala Younis’s practice—as literal objects in some works, and as symbolic motifs in others. With these tools, the multimedia artist draws unexpected connections between competing imaginaries.

In her midcareer retrospective “Past of a Temporal Universe,” which traced nearly two decades of her career, little was immediately evident as Younis’s artistic language draws from academia, architecture, and archives. Instead, the show was conceived for slow and attentive engagement.

I have reviewed Ala Younis’ exhibition at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery for ArtAsiaPacific.

Here is the link to the review

Curatorial Text for Inessa Kalabekova’s “Hidden in the Jungle” show at Fullerton

By: Naima Morelli

06-01-2026

Essay, News

I have written the curatorial text for the exhibition, Hidden in the Jungle, from 6 January to 6 February 2026, by artist Inessa Kalabekova at Fullerton Hotel.

I had the pleasure of following the evolution of Kalabekova’s work for many years now, visiting her studio in Singapore and contributing curatorial texts to her shows

Below is my curatorial text called “Restoring the Ancestral“

2025: Reflections on a year of nomadism and community

By: Naima Morelli

26-12-2025

Essay

I’m starting to type this review at Café Metcha in Seoul, and I’m finishing it at Bar Veneruso in Sorrento. In other words, I’m starting it in a place where I’m very far from my former self, spearheaded into future me, and I’m finishing by penning it down in my hometown. It feels like reconnecting the two halves.

As every year, I choose a double theme for 2025, namely two words that work in tandem, as two synergistic aspects I wanted to embody throughout the year. It was supposed to be Sturdy/Shameless, but it ended up becoming more Nomadism/Community.

Naima Morelli

Published! Interview with Mariem Abutaleb for Markaz Review

Published! Review of The Only Way Out Is Through for ArtAsiaPacific

Published! 421 Arts Campus for ArtAsiaPacific

Published! 24 Hours in Oslo on IFDM

Published! 1-54 Marrakech on Observer

Published! S.E.A. Focus Gets a Boost from Art SG on Observer

Published! Interview with Malina Suleiman for the New Arab

Published! Come bypassare l’occidente su il Manifesto

Published! Interview with Oyjon Khayrullaeva for Times of Central Asia

Published! Ala Younis at NYU Abu Dhabi for ArtAsiaPacific

Curatorial Text for Inessa Kalabekova’s “Hidden in the Jungle” show at Fullerton

2025: Reflections on a year of nomadism and community

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