Naima Morelli
Naima Morelli is an arts writer and journalist who specialises 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 is a regular contributor to Plural Art Mag and Middle East Eye as well as writing curatorial texts for galleries.
Items by Naima Morelli
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- April 2, 2019 Naima Morelli
The life and work of Palestinian Islamo-Pop artist Laila Shawa
A group of women wearing different-coloured niqabs carry ice creams that are just as colourful. Their eyes are closed as if they are about to savour the different flavours. Of course, they can’t, because their mouths are covered by cloth. This painted image is a powerful statement not only...
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- August 1, 2018 Naima Morelli
Arts festival challenges Italy’s policies on migration
In previous years, the festival welcomed a variety of proposals with different content but one focus; the promotion of non-violence. ...
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- December 17, 2017 Naima Morelli
Intimacy in condensed spaces: interview with Palestinian artist Rana Samara
The reason why Rana Samara is one of the most cutting-edge of Palestinian artists is because she looks at one fundamental aspect of our humanity, one which is generally overlooked when talking about the Palestinian experience: intimacy. For this artist, intimacy is not just about love and sex, but is...
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- November 18, 2017 Naima Morelli
Creating a trans-Mediterranean culture through art
Home Beirut Sounding the Neighbors...
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- October 30, 2017 Naima Morelli
Palestine’s first female-run cookery school is ‘a labour of love’
“Today we live life in temporary slots,” Beatrice Catanzaro tells me. “Even a mother saying that she wants to have a baby thinks about it as a project. We live project to project, so we grow disconnected from reality.” The artist is one of the founders — the other is...
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- April 28, 2017 Naima Morelli
Playing with sand in a sandstorm: Palestinians on Banksy’s Walled Off Hotel
Banksy’s Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, Palestine, opened in March 2017 ...
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- December 20, 2016 Naima Morelli
The Palestinian Museum of Natural History and Humankind: interview with artist Khalil Rabah
Indeed, the museum is nomadic, a political stance in itself....
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- October 12, 2016 Naima Morelli
‘A Hair Tie’: The dark, haunting work of Syrian artist Randa Maddah
In many art colleges today, teachers are dismissive of work that is too personal. They disapprove of students inspired by the expressivity of a Munch or trying to follow in the footsteps of a Van Gogh or of any other artist able to convey their anguish by simply depicting...
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- May 28, 2016 Naima Morelli
A place is where your memories are: An interview with artist Rafat Asad
According to Rafat Asad, as a Palestinian artist, you can’t avoid being political. “Every moment you live in this place is political,” he tells me. “If you want to go to a restaurant, travel to another city, whatever you do under the occupation is an act of resistance. The...