I wrote a piece for ArtAsiaPacific on the Parisian art fair AsiaNow. What clearly emerges from the fair, is how the economic dynamism of the Middle East is fostering new connections between the Gulf and other thriving art scenes, from Korea to Southeast Asia.
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The art world came to Turkey in September for two high-profile events: Contemporary Istanbul and the 18th Istanbul Biennial. Against a backdrop of political crisis and growing censorship, organisers and artists found creative ways to stay relevant. I wrote the article for Qantara.
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Private collections and individual visionaries are driving Kazakhstan’s cultural renaissance in the absence of major state investment. I wrote the story for the Observer.
Here is the link to the article
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My latest story for Times of Central Asia, is about the inauguration of the Almaty Museum of Arts, which represents a decisive step in shaping Kazakhstan’s art system.
As the country’s first large-scale contemporary art museum, it houses over 700 works collected across three decades, offering a panoramic view of modern Kazakh art while opening pathways to Central Asian and international dialogues.
Here is the link to the article
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Together, shows staged by the DEO Foundation and Perasma underscore how art can take root in unexpected places, drawing visitors beyond the well-worn circuits of cultural tourism. I wrote the piece for the Observer.
Here is the link to the article
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Are we watching or being watched? Ali Cherri’s new show in Marseille, on view through the 4th of January 2026, deconstructs the museum from the inside out. I wrote the article for The Markaz Review.
Here is the link to the review
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New article (originally in Italian, but you also have an English version) about a city which I recently visited, Helsinki. Here is my very personal guide for IFDM.
Here is the link to the article
Below the extended version of my latest article which appeared on Le Quotidien de L’Art.
Il y a encore quelques années, la proposition culturelle dans la seconde ville de France en matière d’arts plastiques était extrêmement limitée : quelques lieux informels, des programmations éparses, un public principalement local et un marché de l’art quasi-absent.
Mais, depuis Manifesta en 2020 et grâce au travail acharné d’espaces créatifs comme la Friche Belle de Mai, et des muséums tel quel le MUCEM, le [mac] et le Frac, les propositions se sont faites de plus en plus audacieuses, attirant un public à la fois national et international. Les galeries indépendantes, plus d’une vingtaine aujourd’hui, quadrillent le centre-ville dont celles d’artistes qui ont ouvert leurs ateliers ici à Marseille, après la pandémie.
La vivacité grandissante de cette scène n’a pas échappée à l’entrepreneur culturelle Becca Hoffman de l’association 74Arts, qui organise des foires itinérantes, de Aspen à Singapour. L’Edition marseillaise de 74Arts s’appelle « La Mer, » et a l’ambition de relier directement les studios d’artistes marseillais aux grandes galeries françaises ainsi qu’aux collectionneurs internationaux. « On pense que Marseille a beaucoup changée au cours des dernières années » note Becca Hoffman, qui vit entre New York et Antibes. « Après le Covid, on a vu beaucoup de nouvelles fondations et des collectionneurs qui ont déménagés ici. Marseille, c’est l’avenir. Il y a une énergie créative qui est ouverte à tout le monde, mais surtout au Méditerranéen. »
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The show “I Swear I Saw That” interrogates Jean-Leon Gerome’s way of seeing, which Sara Raza recognizes as a “fantastical and highly mythologized vision of the East,” and looks at how artists from both the Middle East, the Arab world and Central Asia fought back.
A Central Asia and Caucasus expert who works extensively in the Middle East, Raza has examined the process of the exoticization of Eastern populations for a long time. She coined the term “Punk Orientalism,” which also became the name of her book and curatorial studio.
I wrote the article for Times of Central Asia.
Here is the link to the article
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Back to my favourite tradition: the year in review.
Let’s start by admitting that 2025 has been quite the year.
I might call it the year of travelling and aventure, as I was constantly on the go. But perhaps I also might think of it as the year I felt more at home in the world. It has been truly an amazing sensation to be in Malta, Taipei, Doha, Seoul, Jeddah, or wherever—and feel like I was just a few blocks away from home.
While, as human beings, we are bound to never fully transcend our human-centered perspective, art offers a means to glimpse beyond our own biases and limitations, imagining a world where animals and humans interact on equal terms.
I have written an essay on the presence of animals in art for The Markaz Review.
Here is the link to the article
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We’ve all heard the joke about art lovers who don’t necessarily celebrate Christmas and Easter, but they definitely celebrate Frieze and Art Basel. This ritualistic aspect of the art world hasn’t escaped Asia NOW, whose tenth anniversary show is aptly titled ‘Ceremony’.
Guided by the ethos of positioning itself not just as another art fair, but as a curated platform presenting Asia to a European audience, Asia NOW has chosen the artistic direction of Radicants, the curatorial cooperative founded by Nicolas Bourriaud, for its main exhibition.
I have written about it for The Art Newspaper France.
Here is the link to the article
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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
