Naima Morelli

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Asia Now 2024

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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Mehdi Qotbi - Overview | So Art Gallery

I spoke with Moroccan artist Mehdi Qotbi who found his passion almost by chance and now, after 50 years, is being celebrated in a major exhibition in Paris at l’Institute du Monde Arabe. The piece has been published by The New Arab.

Here is the link to the interview

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immagine per Friche, Belle de Mai © Caroline Dutrey

This summer I visited for the first time Marseille, to do a little research on the comic book scene there. I have found an incredible lively scene, which provided me with many insights about art, life, and how a community comes together around shared values.

I wrote the piece in Italian for the webmagazine Art a Part of Culture.

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My latest piece about Seoul for an Italian architecture and design magazine I started collaborating with, called IFDM design. The piece is about architecture, heritage, the coolest neighbourhoods and best spaces for art in the Korean capital.

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“Forty-five minutes before the preview opening of the Venice Biennale in April, there was already a long line of sleepy people waiting at the Arsenale. Half were elegantly dressed Arab women.

When Saudi artist Manal AlDowayan showed up a few minutes later with a big red smile, she was greeted by a peal of excited squeals. The line scattered, and the artist was cocooned for a group selfie. “They are Manal’s cousins,” explained an amused man in the line.

Most of these women have never been to the Venice Biennale before. It was AlDowayan’s participation that drew them. This was a chance to root for their heroine while enjoying what in Saudi Arabia has become the chicest of activities: art appreciation.”

My second piece interview with Manal has been published on the Saudi Magazine Hadara.

Here is the link to the interview

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My new article for the Financia Times is about a new breed of Korean collectors, the so-called Generation MZ, a terms tha stands for millennials and Gen-Z.

They are focused on works under $50,000, either buying with family money or their own entrepreneurial cash, including at the upcoming Frieze and Kiaf fairs. 

Here is the link to the piece

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Born in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, shortly before the end of the USSR, artist Gulnur Mukazhanovahas been working with textiles since beginning her practice, and influenced by Kazakh traditions, employs felt as a primary material.

Spiritual and emotional, her abstractions are informed by issues concerning identity and the transformation of traditional values of her  native culture in the age of globalization.

I have interviewed the artist for The Times of Central Asia

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The Kazakh pavilion “Jerūiyq: Journey Beyond the Horizon” at the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, from April 20 to November 24, represents a major milestone in changing perceptions of Kazakh art.

Staged in the Naval Historical Museum, the exhibition reinterprets the ancient legend of Jerūiyq, drawing inspiration from Kazakh myths and the visionary journey of the 15th-century philosopher Asan Kaigy.

I have interviewed the Pavillion’s curator Anvar Musrepov for The Times of Central Asia.

Here is the link to the interview

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Aside from big names such as Marina Abramović, the Balkan region is little known globally, making it ripe for collectors.

I have interviewed some of these artists, collectors and galleries for the Financial Times.

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I have interview artist Maria Madeira and reviewed “Kiss and Don’t Tell,” Timor-Leste’s inaugural pavilion at the Venice Biennale for Plural Art Mag.

The show amalgamates Timorese traditions, personal narratives of displacement, and universal struggles for identity.

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Una visitatrice di Art Basel Hong Kong

The Italian newspaper Il manifesto has just published two pieces of mine. One is an article reflecting back on the art week and the art marketin Hong Kong, the second is an interview with artist Kingsley Ng who did a commission for the façade of the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong.

Here is the link to the article

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The "South West Bank" show at Palazzo Mora [Naima Morelli]

My first report from Venice. Besides the controversy around the closed Israeli Pavilion, in this article for Middle East Monitor I look at three shows representing different facets of Palestine at the 2024 Venice Biennale

Here is the link to the article

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