Middle East | Naima Morelli

Published! Interview with Mooza Almatrooshi on MEMO

26-05-2021

English, Interview, Middle East, Published

“The magical realism that resonates with me the most is the religious mythology that is born out of the Arabian Peninsula,” she tells me. “Until recently, there were minimal efforts to unearth all the erasure of pre-Islamic mythologies and histories in the region. I became interested in all the negative spaces that were vacant and allowed for a re-imagined social landscape to form.”

The webmagazine Middle East Monitor has just published my interview with Saudi artist Mooza Almatrooshi.

Here is the link to the interview

Published! Interview with Suha Araj for MEMO

By: Naima Morelli

22-03-2021

Interview, Middle East, Published

“For me, there is always a visceral element to how I create,” tells me Suha Araj from her home in Brooklyn. “That’s why I’m always drawn to the stories of the Diaspora, because that’s where I have the most emotion. I’m interested in how people survive, and the clashes of living between two cultures.”

My interview with Palestinian-American director Suha Araj has just been published on Middle East Monitor. It was a wonderful conversation that opened up to me new learning not only about Arab cinema, but also about how one becomes a director.

Here is the link to the interview

Published! Interview with Najlaa Elageli on contemporary Libyan art

By: Naima Morelli

04-01-2021

English, Interview, Middle East, North Africa

In the last couple of years I have been developing a growing fascination with the complexities of Libyan culture. While in my past I have been focused mainly on how Italian artists were looking at colonialism in Libya, now I’m starting to delve on the voices of Libyan artists themselves.

And what a better way of approaching the subject than interviewing Najlaa Elageli for Middle East Monitor. She has greatly contributed to spread the knowledge on contemporary Libyan art in the country and abroad.

Here is the link to the interview

Published! Interview with Hind Shoufani for Middle East Monitor

By: Naima Morelli

17-12-2020

English, Interview, Middle East, News

Artist, director and poet Hind Shoufani insists that her Palestinian-ness is a political act. “It is a choice to be on this side of history,” she tells me, “whether we triumph or not, whether I carry some piece of identification paper with blue colours on it, or green colours on it, or rainbow glitter tie-dye on it.”

Middle East Monitor has just published my interview with Hind Shoufani.

Here is the link to the interview

Published! Samandal, Lebanese graphic novelists collective

By: Naima Morelli

21-11-2020

English, Essay, Interview, Middle East, Published

Middle East Monitor has just published my interview with Lena Merhej, Karen Keyrouz and Barrack Rima, members of the Lebanese comics collective Samandal

Here is the link to the article

Published: Arab Pop on Global Comment

By: Naima Morelli

30-10-2020

Interview, Middle East, News, North Africa

The webmagazine Global Comment has just published my interview with Silvia Moresi and Claudia Comito, authors and curators of the book “Arabpop”, a deep dive into the cultural manifestations, shades and consequences of the Arab Springs.

Here is the link to the article

Published: Interview with Lebanese artist Zena El-Khalil for MEMO

By: Naima Morelli

28-09-2020

English, Interview, Middle East, Published

Whirling on site at Beit Beirut [Zena el Khalil]

In my research on contemporary art I started to focus a lot on the spiritual values that artists carry with them and let come through their artworks and practice – despite the many hardships they might be facing.

In this sense, the life experience of Zena El-Khalil, a wonderful artist I had the pleasure to interview for Middle East Monitor, is emblematic. We talk specifically of her way of coping with the terrible explosion that has devastated Beirut, and the way art and her spiritual practice have helped her to look for the spring to come.

Kicking off the new season of articles with this interview makes me really proud, warms my heart and encourages me to look at the struggles in life with a different perspective. Hope it will do the same for you:

Here is the link to the article

Published! Interview with Steve Sabella on Middle East Monitor

By: Naima Morelli

06-04-2020

English, Interview, Middle East

For multimedia artist Steve Sabella, these hard times require us to access the potential of our imagination in order to conjure up our collective future. His works of art reflecting the hardships of the Palestinians become universal metaphors for global rebirth.

My interview with Berlin-based Palestinian artist Steve Sabella has just been published on Middle East Monitor.

Here is the link to the interview

Published! Age of anxiety in Sharjah on Al-Monitor

By: Naima Morelli

24-03-2020

English, Essay, Interview, Middle East, Published, Review

The webmagazine Al-Monitor has just published my article on the exhibition “Art in the Age of Anxiety” at the Sharjah Art Foundation.

The exhibition (now postponed) looked at online technology and communications feeding existential angst. It seems more relevant than ever today amid the global fears due to the coronavirus outbreak and the extensive information available.

Here is the link to the article

Published! Palestinian political posters show on MEMO

By: Naima Morelli

18-03-2020

English, Essay, Interview, Middle East, Published, Review

The exhibition at Palestinian Museum “Glimmer of a Grove Beyond” aims to outline the links between landscape representations and historical circumstances, through the medium of political posters.

Such posters came to prominence in Palestine between the mid-1960s and late-1980s as a means of motivating and mobilising political support in the national movement and revolution, and its armed struggle.

Here is the link to the article

Published: Interview with Carlos Spottorno and Guillermo Abril on Qantara

By: Naima Morelli

18-08-2019

English, France, Germany, Interview, Italy, Middle East, Published, UK

LaGrieta

In their wonderful graphic novel/field journal “The Crack” photographer Carlos Spottorno and journalist Guillermo Abril report the unfolding of Europeʹs migrant crisis from Africa to the Arctic over the course of three years. Their aim is to identify the causes and consequences of Europeʹs identity crisis.

I have interviewed the two reporters for Qantara, a webmagazine promoting cultural exchange, based in Germany. I’m super-excited because of this new collaboration, which allows me to bring back my explorations in foreign realities back to my homeland Europe.

Here is the link to the interview

Published! Interview with Yasmine Laraqui on MEMO

By: Naima Morelli

25-07-2019

Interview, Middle East, Published, Research

YasmineLaraqui
I have a growing interest for Marocco and the way contemporary art is developing in this country. This time I discussed the emerging art scene with curator, artist and gallerist Yasmine Laraqui founder of Dasthe Art Space and Agency in Casablanca for Middle East Monitor.

Here is the link to the interview

Naima Morelli

Published! Interview with Mooza Almatrooshi on MEMO

Published! Interview with Suha Araj for MEMO

Published! Interview with Najlaa Elageli on contemporary Libyan art

Published! Interview with Hind Shoufani for Middle East Monitor

Published! Samandal, Lebanese graphic novelists collective

Published: Arab Pop on Global Comment

Published: Interview with Lebanese artist Zena El-Khalil for MEMO

Published! Interview with Steve Sabella on Middle East Monitor

Published! Age of anxiety in Sharjah on Al-Monitor

Published! Palestinian political posters show on MEMO

Published: Interview with Carlos Spottorno and Guillermo Abril on Qantara

Published! Interview with Yasmine Laraqui on MEMO

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