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.
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.
Like institutions globally, Norway’s biggest art museums are trying to adapt, sometimes haltingly, to a society whose values are shifting in real time. I travelled to Oslo to report for the Observer.
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.
In regions like Latvia, where audiences aren’t saturated with contemporary art, you don’t need cynicism or irony,” says Payam of artist collective Slavs and Tatars. “That makes it possible to present pieces that are both aesthetically strong and politically charged, and the audience receives them without the defensive distance you might find elsewhere.
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.
My review of the show “The Utopia of Rules”, which I saw at the Singapore Art Week at the beginning of the year, has been published in the latest issue of Mekong Review.
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. »
The 2025 Helsinki Biennial delivers in the sense that it unfolds in the moment and strives for harmony, but do we really want art to affect us so imperceptibly that it’s ultimately like nothing ever happened?
I wrote my review of the Biennial for the Observer.
To take a snapshot of the magmatic undercurrent in Istanbul’s art scene, I examined the city’s subterranean energies through a gallery show, an art fair, and a museum retrospective. The story is for The Markaz Review.
Beyond its commercial ambitions, the inaugural edition of VIMA art fair carved out space to consider Cyprus’ complex geopolitical position. I wrote a report on the fair for the Observer.
From art fairs to vibrant galleries, Marrakech is becoming a top spot for contemporary African art, bringing together local talent and global influences. I wrote this article on the local art scene for The New Arab.
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.
