Middle East | Naima Morelli

Published! Interview with Mariem Abutaleb for Markaz Review

06-03-2026

English, Interview, Middle East, North Africa, Published

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

Published! 421 Arts Campus for ArtAsiaPacific

By: Naima Morelli

04-03-2026

English, Essay, Interview, Middle East, News, Published, Reportage, Research, Review, Visit

The Gulf’s Anti-Institution: 421 Arts Campus

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.

Here is the link to the piece

Published! Interview with Malina Suleiman for the New Arab

By: Naima Morelli

23-01-2026

Middle East, News, Published

First, you smell it. Then you see it. The encounter with Afghan artist Malina Suliman’s work at Riga’s annual contemporary art exhibition, Survival Kit 16, is first and foremost olfactory — therefore primal. It enters the body before it enters the intellect.

Malina, who began her practice with street murals and clandestine painting, now constructs environments that behave like living organisms: smelling, staining, ageing, and transforming.

I have interview the artist for The New Arab

Here is the link to the interview

Published! Come bypassare l’occidente su il Manifesto

By: Naima Morelli

23-01-2026

Korea, Middle East, Published, Review

The relationship between Korea and the Gulf countries is longer and more complex than it may seem. These ties have shifted from oil and construction to culture, and the exhibition “Proximities” at Sema, the contemporary art museum of Seoul testifies that.

I saw the exhibition and reviewed it (in Italian) for il Manifesto.

Here is the link to the article

Published: AsiaNow 2025 on ArtAsiaPacific

By: Naima Morelli

01-11-2025

Essay, Europe, Indonesia, Korea, Middle East, News, Published

“The Edge is Fertile”: Asia NOW Rethinks Asia’s Borders

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.

Here is the link to the piece

Published! Contemporary Istanbul and the Biennale for Qantara

By: Naima Morelli

01-11-2025

English, Essay, Interview, Middle East, News, Published, Reportage, Research

Zwei Personen stehen in einem Korridor, mit dem Rücken zueinander, und betrachten Gemälde, die an den Wänden hängen.

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.

Here is the link to the piece

Published! Interview with Tanya Trabulsi for Hadara

By: Naima Morelli

07-10-2025

English, Interview, Middle East, Published, Research

Themes of memory, belonging, and identity are recurring motifs in Traboulsi’s work. Born in 1976, a year after the start of Lebanon’s civil war, her family fled the country in 1983 to the safety of Austria, her mother’s home country. But a longing for Lebanon remained.

“When my family left Beirut, we left by ferry. I watched the city slowly disappear, a thin stretch of buildings retreating on the horizon getting farther and farther across the sea.”

That image stayed with her for 13 years, inspiring the title of her photo series, Beirut, Recurring Dream. “Years later, I took that photo. It’s in my book,” she says. “It was exactly how I remembered it.”

I have interviewed the artist for Hadara.

Here is the link to the interview

Published! Ali Cherri at MAC Marseille for Markaz Review

By: Naima Morelli

16-08-2025

Essay, Middle East, News, Published, Review

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

Published! Cleopatra at the Paris Arab World Institute exhibition for The New Arab

By: Naima Morelli

14-07-2025

English, Interview, Middle East, News, North Africa, Published

There are historical characters that are no longer themselves. They become archetypes and symbols for us to project upon. Cleopatra is one such character.

The Mystery of Cleopatra, a newly opened exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, investigates this very aspect of the Egyptian queen.

Drawing on historical sources that retrace who Cleopatra was, the exhibition examines what she has been made to represent — and how her story might now be told differently.

I interviewed the exhibition’s curator for The New Arab.

Here is the link to the article

Published! VIMA art fair in Cyprus for Times of Central Asia

By: Naima Morelli

30-05-2025

Central Asia, Interview, Middle East, News, Published

In the art world, fairs often have a meteoric rise and fall in an oversaturated market of competing events. But every so often, one lands with a quiet, deliberate weight, embedding itself in the soil of its context and revitalizing it. Vima in Limassol, Cyprus, is one such project.

Unfolding in a transformed wine warehouse near the sea, VIMA resisted the sterile polish of typical fair venues. Here, the Mediterranean wind mingled with the hum of languages, from Russian to Arabic, Greek, and Turkish, to English.

The fair was founded by three Russians who have established themselves in Cyprus – Edgar Gadzhiev, Lara Kotreleva, and Nadezhda Zinovskaya – all of whom have brought a deep well of curatorial and institutional experience from Central Asia, Eurasia, and beyond.

I have interviewed the three founders for Times of Central Asia.

Here is the link to the article

Published! VIMA Cyprus Fair Report on The Observer

By: Naima Morelli

22-05-2025

Middle East, News, Published, Reportage, Research, Visit

A crowd of visitors walks through a large industrial exhibition hall with stone walls and exposed beams, viewing booths from galleries including ΓΚΑΡΑΖ art space and Alpha C.K. Art Gallery at the VIMA Art Fair.

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

Published! Gaza’s rescued treasures at the Arab World Institute in Paris for The New Arab

By: Naima Morelli

10-04-2025

Middle East, Published

The Arab World Institute’s exhibition on Gaza’s archaeological treasures offers European visitors a vital glimpse into the history of the Palestinian enclave.

I wrote the piece for The New Arab

Here is the link to the article

Naima Morelli

Published! Interview with Mariem Abutaleb for Markaz Review

Published! 421 Arts Campus for ArtAsiaPacific

Published! Interview with Malina Suleiman for the New Arab

Published! Come bypassare l’occidente su il Manifesto

Published: AsiaNow 2025 on ArtAsiaPacific

Published! Contemporary Istanbul and the Biennale for Qantara

Published! Interview with Tanya Trabulsi for Hadara

Published! Ali Cherri at MAC Marseille for Markaz Review

Published! Cleopatra at the Paris Arab World Institute exhibition for The New Arab

Published! VIMA art fair in Cyprus for Times of Central Asia

Published! VIMA Cyprus Fair Report on The Observer

Published! Gaza’s rescued treasures at the Arab World Institute in Paris for The New Arab

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