Naima Morelli

Archive
Tag "europe"

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

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AsiaticaItaloSpinelli

I’m forever passionate about the connections between Europe and Asia through culture. This time, we explore the power of cinematic language across continents with Italo Spinelli, director of Asiatica Film Festival in Rome, Italy, for Culture360.

Here is the link to the interview

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curatorsasiaeurope

Culture360 – the webmagazine of the Asia-Europe Foundation – has just published my piece on independent curators bridging Asia and Europe (and also other parts of the world) through contemporary art.

I have met these three incredible women in several occasions; they are doing a very important and necessary work, filling gaps in understanding across cultures. Their practice and professional rigour inspires me greatly.

Here is the link to the piece

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artshub12
When I chose to become a freelance journalist, the possibility of working from everywhere was extremely luring. And I experimented a little with it, especially that couple of years that I was based first in Melbourne, Australia, and then going back and forth between Rome and Sorrento every two weeks. I quickly found out that what I pictured as total freedom, actually required an unusual amount of discipline.

In this piece for ArtsHub I interviewed absolute experts on location independency: writers Shannon O’Donnel of A Little Adrift, Jeannie Mark of Nomadic Chick and artist Veronica Kent. In this sense writing for ArtsHub is fantastic because it gives me the chance to go around and ask questions on matters that I feel pressing. And being a full-time digital nomad is still something I give a lot of thought to.

Here’s the link to the piece

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gceddysusanto

My article “Why must the East continue to be objectified? An interview with Indonesian artist Eddy Susanto” has just been published on the webmagazine Global Comment. This interview is part part of my reportage about contemporary art in Indonesia.

Here’s the link to the article

You can have more Eddy Susanto in my newly released book (in Italian)

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artshub2

My article about the pros and cons of  Australian artists trying to build a career overseas has just been published on the webmagazine Arts Hub with the title: “Should you go international? – Australians no longer need to look overseas to build an arts career but it remains a temptation and a challenge.”  For this article I gave voice to some of the artists I interviewed during my reportage in Australia.

Here’s the link to the article

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monet7

Media Previews, along with the free catalogues of the exhibitions, are among the advantages to be part of the “media”.
I have no idea how the NGV has come to know that I’m a journalist, but you know, I got this mail and the object was “Monet’s Garden Media Preview”. I couldn’t say no.

The ingredients were all there.
The National Gallery of Victoria. One of the most famous modern painters of all the times. Pastels colors  Frenchness. I was sure the dynamic NGV would adjust itself to the élégance et finesse required from such event.
So I wore my little back dress with fuchsia stockings and I invited my boyfriend to come with me.
He was not sure he wanted to came. It was too early for him, I mean, nine o’ clock!
“The whole thing would be to classy for me anyways!”, he mumbled curling up in the sheets.
“Come on! Since we are in the City, we can also go do groceries at your favorite Mall after!” I told him.
This convinced him and he finally woke up. He wore his never washed second world war German coat, he grabbed his grannish blue and grey groceries trolley and we were ready to go.

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5

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.
Non fatevi ingannare dalla bellezza del posto; dietro la luce che rende smeraldina l’erba, dietro le ranocchie spiaccicate sull’asfalto da jeep di passaggio e dietro le palme che sbadigliano sornione, c’è ancora tanto da fare, tanto da combattere.
Gede lo sa. Gede è nato qui e sua scelta di vita è stata quella di tornare a vivere ad Ubud, nelle risaie, dopo i suoi studi alla prestigiosa accademia d’arte nella capitale culturale dell’Indonesia, Yogyakarta.
Quello che rende la storia e l’arte di Gede così interessante è che, a differenza di molti artisti balinesi in fuga dell’isola o piegati al commerciale, lui ha deciso di rimanere e di condurre la sua battaglia sociale attraverso dipinti dalla satira feroce e plateali installazioni.
L’appuntamento è alla “Luden House”, un Warung/studio artistico inerpicato in una splendida zona di Ubud piena di ville in costruzione.
Se ancora avevo qualche dubbio su come trovare il posto, una grande scritta immacolata in mezzo alla risaia “NOT FOR SALE”, mi segnala di essere arrivata.
Gede, un ragazzo dal sorriso amichevole, si gode il sole ad uno dei tavoli fatto di copertoni verniciati di bianco – in Europa tale arredamento sarebbe già oggetto di design – mentre bambini allegri disegnano tutto intorno e ragazzine si fanno le foto davanti alla risaia.
Cominciamo a parlare in inglese, poi al momento di mostrarmi i suoi quadri, sceglie l’indonesiano.
Mi mostra questa serie di dipinti dove i protagonisti sono una rana avida, e un doberman.

– Di che si tratta questo lavoro?

Questa qui è una serie di cento quadri, non ancora terminata, concepiti come un fumetto. La storia parla di questa rana, rappresentante un po’ tutti i balinesi, che viene convinta da questo cane a vendere il proprio campo di riso.

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