A man in his mid-forties, Negmatov was born and trained in Bukhara and has nearly three decades of experience as a jeweler. His native city has been a center of gold and silver work for well over a millennium, and craftsmanship helped shape the city itself: as many as two hundred crafts are believed to have flourished here, with each neighborhood, or mahalla, tied to a particular one.
I wrote about the craftmanship of Uzbek jeweler Zokir Negmatov for Times of Central Asia.
I have toured for Observer the private collections in Athens and their island outposts, which are reshaping where, and how, contemporary art gets shown in Greece.
Here is the link to the article
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From St. Moritz to Gstaad, from Capri to the Berkshires, from Punta del Este to Joshua Tree, smaller, boutique fairs are setting up shop where collectors already are.
I wrote about the so called “Destination Art Fairs” for Observer.
Central Asia is increasingly visible on the contemporary art map, and few events carry more symbolic weight than the Venice Biennale, often described as the Olympics of the art world.
In recent years, Kazakhstan’s privately funded art scene and Uzbekistan’s state-backed art scene have often led the region’s international push. This year, Kyrgyzstan is is determined not to lag behind.
The country’s pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale marks its second dedicated national participation. Kyrgyzstan first appeared in this format in 2022 with Gates of Turan, a state-commissioned installation by Firouz FarmanFarmaian on the Venetian island of Giudecca that drew on nomadic heritage and local craft traditions.
At the center of the 2026 pavilion is Alexey Morosov, a Bishkek-born artist who has lived and worked in Italy for years. He chose the former church of Santa Caterina at Convitto Foscarini, in Venice’s Cannaregio district, as the setting for BELEK, the Kyrgyz word for “gift.”
Curated by art historian Geraldine Leardi, the exhibition reflects on water and Kyrgyzstan’s tradition of generosity. The works are in close dialogue with the space that hosts them.
I wrote the article for Times of Central Asia.
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L’hebdo du Quotidien de l’Art has just published my article on Burmese artists exiled in France. After the coup d’état in Myanmar, most of the Burmese art scene relocated and reformed elsewhere, with some artists moving to France.
Between Marseille and Paris, these trajectories do not form a homogeneous network, but rather a constellation of practices and narratives, linked by the experience of exile.
Here is the link to the piece online
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This year, Asia at the Venice Biennale explores themes ranging from postcolonialism to contemporary spirituality, thanks to artists from countries where the art scene is now well-established—such as China and Indonesia—as well as from emerging regions that are giving rise to new narratives.
I wrote the piece for Il manifesto.
Here the link to the article (in Italian)
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Kaïs Dhifi’s sculptural pieces reflect a balance between control and spontaneity, embracing imperfection, chance, and the history embedded in materials. In this interview Dhifi talks about his latest concept, an inverted Mediterranean.
My interview with Kaïs Dhifi is on Markaz Review, as a feature artist for the Mediterreneans issue.
Here is the link to the article
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A convergence is underway between the worlds of art and design – at the heart of Salone Raritas, the new section of Salone del Mobile – centered on “collectible design,” which brings together historicized design and contemporary creation. It is a new market whose dynamics closely resemble those of the art world.
I interviewed three of the protagonists of this phenomenon for the design magazine IFDM.
Here is the link to the original article article (in Italian)
And here is the English translation
Latest article (in French) for Le Quotidien de l’Art about independent spaces in Rome. Sometimes I got to write about my turf as well! online and in the paper edition.
“Lorsqu’on évoque l’art contemporain en Italie, Milan et Turin s’imposent comme des évidences. Rome, elle, est souvent reléguée au second plan et perçue comme périphérique. Pourtant, loin des projecteurs institutionnels et de la hype, la capitale italienne cultive une vitalité singulière, une énergie nourrie par des liens humains forts, des solidarités de terrain et un rapport avec le territoire.”
Here is the link to the article
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Loft Gallery director has spent nearly two decades building one of the country’s most important contemporary art spaces, while quietly assembling a collection guided entirely by instinct and love.
I have interviewed her for Observer.
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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
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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.
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
