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.
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)
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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.
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.
Here is the link to the article
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Interior Forniture and Design Magazine has published my latest article (in Italian with an English translation), a guide to my favourite city, Marseille.
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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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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 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.
Here is the link to the article
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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.
Here is the link to the article
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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.
Here is the link to the article
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As I walked to the museum in the southern French city, some graffiti on a restaurant shutter caught my eye: “If a place attracts you, it’s because there is something waiting for you, and your story there has already been written.”
These words stuck with me as I turned the corner and the incredible MUCEM building stood before me, epic in shape and location, silhouetted against the cloudy sky, seemingly suspended on the sea.
“Revenir” focuses on the idea of home, travel and returning. This is not only the scope of the show, but the wider project of the museum, which is dedicated to Mediterranean cultures, especially to that very specific blend for which this city port is renowned.
Running until 16 March at the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MUCEM) in Marseille, the exhibition “Revenir” (“Return”) invites visitors to explore the experiences of returning to one’s homeland.
I wrote about the show for Middle East Monitor.
Here is the link to the review
Read More![1-54 Marrakech 2025. [Courtesy Mohamed Lakhdar]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MLR57810.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Small but well-curated, the 1/54 art fair in Marrakech aims to be the gateway for African art, while fostering the local Moroccan art scene. I have reported on the event for Middle East Monitor.
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
