Naima Morelli

Deianira Tolema has interviewed me for Art a Part of Culture

05-03-2016

Australia, English, Indonesia, Interview, Italiano, Italy, News, Reportage, Research, Singapore

interviewdeianira
Arts writer and curator Deianira Tolema – the gal behind Zero Hype Mag – has interviewed me for Art a Part of Cult(ure). She is the best interviewer I could hope for, a talented, committed writer and a kindred spirit in the journey in the contemporary art world – she goes west whereas I go east. In the piece (in Italian) called “Indonesian interferences with a Singaporean aftertaste. Interview to Naima Morelli”, we talk about my start as a writer, my research in Indonesia, Australia and Singapore, and about my book Arte Contemporanea in Indonesia, un’introduzione

Here’s the link to the interview

Indonesia – Orienti Visioni Contemporanee al Villa Ada Festival

By: Naima Morelli

13-07-2014

Indonesia, Italiano, Italy, News

PosterIndonesiaVillaAda

Dal 14 al 2o Luglio curerò una rassegna di video arte indonesiana nell’ambito del Festival di Villa Ada. L’iniziativa è stata organizzata da MNAO Contemporary, il programma di arte contemporanea del Museo Nazionale d’Arte Orientale Giuseppe Tucci di Roma, e si focalizza su diversi paesi asiatici. L’inaugurazione è domani sera dalle 9 in poi… intanto beccatevi il comunicato!

Villa Ada Festival Roma Incontra il Mondo presenta…

“ORIENTI – VISIONI CONTEMPORANEE”
Programma di video-proiezioni ed installazioni di artisti contemporanei asiatici diretto da Valentina Gioia Levy, con la collaborazione di Elena Abbiatici e Naima Morelli

Presso l’Art Project Space
Adagio Bar
A partire dal 4 luglio
INDONESIA 14 – 20 Luglio

A cura di Naima Morelli
14 – Presentazione scena artistica indonesiana e introduzione al lavoro dei tre artisti in mostra.

15/16 – Krisna Murti – Empty Theather – Video installation (multi-channel video), DVD 3 projections, 3’58’’, loop, sound, 2010.

17/18 – Fallen –Tintin Wulia – Video projection (single-channel), 18’43”, loop, 2011

19/20 – The Lepidopters – Slave Pianos and Punkasila – Video projection (single-channel), loop, 2014
Proiezioni dalle 21 in poi
Per la settimana dedicata all’Indonesia verranno proiettati tre video che rappresentano alcune sfaccettature della complessa e variegata scena artistica locale in rapido sviluppo.
Krisna Murti e Tintin Wulia sono pionieri della video arte in Indonesia. Entrambi cominciano a lavorare con i new media all’alba della caduta del regime del dittatore Suharto nel ’98, in un clima di libertà espressiva fino a quel momento negato.
Punkasila invece è un gruppo artistico nato a Yogyakarta nel 2007 da una residenza all’Indonesian Visual Art Archive, allora Yayasan Seni Cemeti, di Danius Kesminas. Il gruppo originale di Punkasila conta sette giovani artisti indonesiani più Kesminas, ma è costantemente in espansione e aperto a nuove collaborazioni, tra cui quella con Slave Pianos per questo video.

Incontro con Kenny Pittock e Georgina Lee all’Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma

By: Naima Morelli

28-05-2014

Australia, English, Italiano, Italy, News

manifesto accademia

Giovedì 29 maggio ore 15
incontro pre-mostra con gli artisti Kenny Pittock e Georgina Lee
incontro moderato da Isabella Tirelli e Naima Morelli

Thursday May 29 , 3 pm
pre-exhibition talk with artists Kenny Pittock e Georgina Lee
talk moderated by Isabella Tirelli and Naima Morelli

Accademia di Belle Arti
Roma via ripetta 222 Aula 207

Giovedì pomeriggio all’Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma si terrà il talk degli artisti australiani Kenny Pittock e Georgina Lee. La discussione, che coinvolgerà anche gli studenti, verterà sulle peculiarità del sistema dell’arte australiano rispetto a quello italiano e sul percorso artistico degli artisti emergenti in entrambi i paesi.
Nel corso dell’incontro gli artisti discuteranno la propria pratica artistica in vista dell’imminente mostra alla Galleria 291est, curata da me nell’ambito della rassegna Common Place. Inoltre, codiuvata dalla Prof. Isabella Tirelli, fornirò una breve introduzione del contesto australiano basandomi sulla mia ricerca condotta a Melbourne nel corso del 2013.

A talk by artists Kenny Pittock and Georgina Lee will be held at Rome’s Art Academy on Thursday afternoon. The discussion with the students will focus on the peculiarities of the Australian art system compared to the Italian one and on the emerging artists’ path in both countries. The artists will also talk about their work for their upcoming exhibition at Galleria 291est, Rome, curated by me for the Common Place series. Together with lecturer Prof. Isabella Tirelli, I will also give an introduction to the Australian context based on my research on the Melbourne art scene.

Personal art collection: Sheets Wet with Sweat by Lucas Leo Catalano

By: Naima Morelli

06-06-2013

Collection, English, Italy

sheetswetwithsweat

In one of his poems Baudelaire said that there is no beauty without a little bit of sadness.
This artwork, from my personal collection of contemporary art, is both beautiful and painful to me.
Lucas Leo Catalano realized it for the first exhibition of the art/poetry collective Poetry Experience in which I partecipate as well.
This work has been exhibited in The Room Gallery in Rome and at Museo del Viaggio in Positano.

Reportage sull’arte contemporanea indonesiana: l’antefatto

By: Naima Morelli

24-10-2012

Italiano, Reportage

heridono

Luogo di coordinate 0:0, probabilmente in un fumetto.

Legata ad una sedia, in mano a scagnozzi mettiamo, chessò, russo-mongoli appassionati d’arte, pronti a scazzottarmi, sono costretta a rivelare cos’è, o meglio cosa ho scoperto, di quest’arte contemporanea indonesiana.

“Ma come faccio a dirvelo maledizione santa! L’arte contemporanea non si presta a definizioni, è fluida, non deve essere ingabbiata, non può…”
Smack!
Il primo cazzotto arriva e quasi mi fa saltare i denti.
Riprova.
“Ci sono tanti artisti diversi, ognuno con la sua poetica, la sintesi, la sintesi cari signori, è depauperazione!”
Non capiscono la parola.
Gli sembra troppo scolastica.
Smack!
Te lo chiedo un’ultima volta…
“Con le buone immagino…” rispondo sputando saliva vermiglia
… cosa cercavi in Indonesia?

Mircea Cantor at Macro

By: Naima Morelli

03-07-2012

English, Review

“Sic transit Gloria mundi” is what is written in burn marks on the white wall of Macro’s Enel Room.

That’s an epigraph that could sound powerful, but dramatic and resigned as well. It is not simple for an artist to deal with decadence. I mean, working on a concept so wide like “The word is falling apart”. He has to be careful, not to be demagogic or didactic.

He has to distance himself to the common sense, like your typical neighbour’s morning remarks “The word is changing. When I was young everything was totally different. Better than now, for sure. We have no autumn and spring anymore”.

Mircea Cantor luckly, succeed to be ecumenical not being banal.

Claudia Peill e la noia della ricerca formale

By: Naima Morelli

25-05-2012

Italiano, Italy, Review

Al ritorno dalla mostra in Via del Vantaggio, sede della Galleria Mara Coccia, fino a casa mia in Piazza Vittorio (non vi do l’indirizzo preciso perché non voglio i vostri bravi ad aspettarmi sotto casa dopo che avrete letto questa recensione), sono state tre le cose che mi hanno colpito assai di più che la mostra che mi ha spinto fuori dall’uscio.

In ordine: le ragazzine sotto la metro che commentavano l’appena conclusa settimana della cultura “…perché le cose gratuite fanno schifo, tipo Palazzo Barberini…” , poi un chitarrista in Piazza del Popolo che suonava ispirato Tracy Chapman, interrotto bruscamente da un’esplosione di una sigla assordante dal palco montato lì vicino, con tanto di ballerini vestiti da conigli che si lanciano sulla scena provando la coreografia, e tre una bionda malinconica simile a una giovane Marianne Faithfull seduta ai tavolini del Bar Rosati.

Tranches de vie irripetibili che sarebbe quantomeno inutile paragonare ai dipinti di Claudia Peill.

Certo, direte voi, la vita è sempre superiore all’arte, figuriamoci se non è superiore a IKEA.

Leonard Freed’s serenade to Italy

By: Naima Morelli

18-05-2012

English, Italy, Review

The Museo di Roma in Trastevere represents, in the city of Rome, the only museum opened to photography in the true sense of the word.

Often you can find there interesting exhibitions on American photographers, like the unforgettable one on Stephen Shore.
These kinds of shows lead the roman audience to a certain vision of photography that is less renowned in Rome, and opens new dialogue possibilities between the city and the subject of the exhibition.
This was the case of Leonard Freed, the famous Magnum photographer.

It was Magnum that starts a weird combination between art and documentary photography, and Leonard Freed was one of them who followed the idea that a snapshot can be interesting, pushing the idea of spontaneity.

It seemed that Leonard had a predilection for Italy. From there the title “Io amo l’Italia”, an exaggerated declaration of love not to be suspected.
Indeed, people came called by Freed’s celebrity, finding something maybe below the level of the photographer’s serious work.
You know, it’s from 2006 that Leonard has been dead, so we can’t absolutely blame him for this exhibition.
Maybe he even hates Italy and he was forced to come. Maybe one time, just one time, he said, to make an Italian friend happy “Iow Aemoh leh’eetalia” with an odd American accent, and the newpapers reports this quote and unfortunately the curator of the exhibition read it and he said “Ok, let’s make an exhibition on Freed’s Italian photos”
So we can’t blame Leonard, really.
We could rather blame the curator, who had to place the photographs he wants to show in the context. That would mean as the context of Italy (and that’s ok) either the modern sensibility of the watcher (and that doesn’t work).

Published! Mircea Cantor Review on NY Arts

By: Naima Morelli

18-05-2012

English, Italy, Published, Review

The American magazine NY Arts published my review of Mircea Cantor exhibition at MACRO, Rome with the title “Mircea Cantor: The World is Changing”

Here you are the link to the review

Here you are the editorial preview on NY Arts Tumbrl

Non ha smesso di volare, è solo morto, una performance di Robberto

By: Naima Morelli

11-05-2012

Italiano, Italy, Review

Ricordate quando da bambini facevate i funerali agli uccellini morti nel giardino? Gli costruivate una piccola tomba, scavavate un fosso e lo cospargevate di fiori. Poi cantavate una preghierina mentre gli altri bambini vi stavano a guardare.
Come? Non avevate un giardino da piccoli?

Mi dispiace per voi, ma sono certa abbiate senz’altro la prontezza di immaginarvi in ogni dettaglio la commovente scena, e dunque di capire lo spirito di fondo con il quale Robberto (uno dei più validi tra i nuovi artisti sfornati dall’Accademia di Belle Arti), ha deciso di muoversi per questa performance.

Can Nudists be shy? Kawamura Gun say yes

By: Naima Morelli

02-05-2012

English, Italy, Review

Once a friend of mine said to me: “I don’t really like funny art”

We were arguing on Pino Pascali, the Italian artist working in the seventeen, mostly known for his sculptures. Not exactly Canova’s style. Something like “Walt Disney going mad”, I mean, whale tales sprouting from the floor, brush caterpillars, pregnant canvas, that sort of things.
I not agree with my friend (who wasn’t Clement Greenberg anyway).
For me, art have to be game. A quest sometime. Something that could catch your imagination.
It’s better if art don’t take herself to seriously. I mean, not even stupid. Just intriguing.

Don’t look at the Pictures: Damien Hirst at Rome Gagosian

By: Naima Morelli

20-04-2012

English, Italy, Review

“Don’t look at the pictures” could be the subtitles of the Demian’s Gagosian exhibition.

The antefact is that the January 12, will be Damien’s shows in the Gagosian Gallery worldwide. “Twenty five years of Spot Paintings” it’s the official title, and seems to be very serious, even knowing the brat who Damien is.
No corpses, no putrefaction, no flies… it could be a relaxing exhibition.

Deianira Tolema has interviewed me for Art a Part of Culture

Indonesia – Orienti Visioni Contemporanee al Villa Ada Festival

Incontro con Kenny Pittock e Georgina Lee all’Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma

Personal art collection: Sheets Wet with Sweat by Lucas Leo Catalano

Reportage sull’arte contemporanea indonesiana: l’antefatto

Mircea Cantor at Macro

Claudia Peill e la noia della ricerca formale

Leonard Freed’s serenade to Italy

Published! Mircea Cantor Review on NY Arts

Non ha smesso di volare, è solo morto, una performance di Robberto

Can Nudists be shy? Kawamura Gun say yes

Don’t look at the Pictures: Damien Hirst at Rome Gagosian

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