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Naima Morelli

Journalist

Naima is an arts writer and journalist specialized 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 she is a regular contributor to Plural Art Mag, Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye as well as writing curatorial texts for galleries. She is the author of three books on Southeast Asian contemporary art.

Articles

Central Asian Art Art and Culture

In Doha, Central Asian Artists Dismantle Orientalism

Completely covered by a huge textile patchwork piece, softly moved by the wind, the façade of the Mathaf Museum in Doha promises visitors something fascinating and alluring. Coming closer, attendees could read a series of statements in various languages on the fabric. The effect of familiarity and estrangement at once was the purpose of Azerbaijani artist Babi Badalov, who realized the piece. By layering phrases in Arabic, Cyrillic, and Latin with calligraffiti and employing disjointed grammar and syntax, the artist meant to visually disrupt “linguistic imperialism” and show how Europe’s modern civilization owes much to Arab civilization. [caption id="attachment_27513" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] The Mathaf Museum in Doha; image: TCA, Naima Morelli[/caption] This specially commissioned work, called Text Still (2024), is nothing but an appetizer for the show Seeing is Believing: The Art and Influence of Gérôme. Organized by the forthcoming Lusail Museum — an institution under development in northern Doha that will house the largest collection of the so-called Orientalist art — the exhibition features loans from institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Islamic Arts Museum in Malaysia. The main part of the show is dedicated to French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme, who lived and worked in the 19th century and was profoundly influential in his depictions of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. His works shaped Western perceptions of these regions during an era when colonialism and “Oriental Studies” were cementing global power dynamics. The show included a historical and biographical exploration of Gérôme’s life, timed to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth, as well as a photographic section curated by Giles Hudson dedicated to visions of the Orient from Gérôme’s time to today. But it is in the third section, centered on contemporary art and called “I Swear I saw That”, that Central Asian artist really enter into a close dialogue with Gérôme’s Orientalism, turning it on its head. Sara Raza, curator of this section, takes Badalov’s textile work as a case in point: “Badalov inverts Edward Said’s mission of examining Western perceptions of the Orient, focusing instead on Eastern perceptions of the Occident, and vice versa,” she told The Times of Central Asia. Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism, as detailed in his groundbreaking 1978 work of the same name, is an institutionalized program of Western knowledge, based mostly on projections, mystification, and imagination - and includes works of art as well as the academy - which is directed to justify a supposed Western superiority and imperialism over Eastern populations. “I Swear I Saw That” interrogates Jean-Leon Gerome’s way of seeing, which Sara Raza recognizes as a “fantastical and highly mythologized vision of the East,” and looks at how artists from both the Middle East, the Arab world and Central Asia fought back. A Central Asia and Caucasus expert who works extensively in the Middle East, Raza has examined the process of the exoticization of Eastern populations for a long time. She coined the term “Punk Orientalism,” which also became the...

1 week ago

Central Asian Art UAE Art and Culture Kazakh Art

UAE Embracing the Silk Road Narrative: Central Asia at Art Abu Dhabi 2024

More than at any other time in recent history, the entire art world is this year tackling geopolitical identity issues. And while we usually delegate Biennales and non-commercial art events to take the pulse of our contemporary reality, this time an art fair took up this task: Art Abu Dhabi. This year the fair was bigger than ever and had a hugely relevant Central Asian and Caucasus section, curated by Elvira Eevr Djaltchinova-Malec, which was aptly called “Drifting identities.” Founder of the Warsaw Institute for Modern and Contemporary Asian Art (WIMCAA) Foundation - based on the spreading of Asian and global art – Djaltchinova-Malec was invited by the fair's artistic director, Dyala Nusseibeh, to curate a section that presented different aspects of the rich cultural tapestry of the region without shying away from the political concerns and instability which often characterize this part of the world. [caption id="attachment_26543" align="aligncenter" width="928"] From left to right, Abdelmonem Alserkal - prominent art patron based in Dubai, founder of the Alserkal Avenue, Alserkal Foundation, Elvira Eevr Djaltchinova-Malec, Almagul Menlibayeva, and Danagul Tolepbay image: Elvira Eevr Djaltchinova-Malec[/caption] Djaltchinova-Malec has been working on this concept of the Silk Road in different shows – namely Silk Road 2.0 - Artists re-loaded conference in Warsaw, Silk Road 2.0 - New Opportunities panel for art for 021 Art fair in Shanghai - adapting it to the changing geopolitical landscape of the region. "Our foundation was established in 2016, and already, eight years ago, we started to explore the topic of the Silk Road,” Djaltchinova-Malec told TCA. “We wanted to understand the desire of China and countries who joined Chinese projects for the New Silk Road, and we invited artists and art professionals from Vietnam, the United Kingdom, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Germany, Tibet, France, and Ukraine for the foundation’s first conference.” The Belt and Road Initiative, sometimes referred to as the New Silk Road, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in more than 150 countries and international organizations. [caption id="attachment_26545" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Tapestry by Almagul Menlibayeva; image: Elvira Eevr Djaltchinova-Malec[/caption] It’s the first time that the curator is presenting these artistic geographies in the context of the Gulf. On one hand, this is opening up Central Asian narratives to an Arab public that might be curious to learn more about art in this region. On the other hand, it is helping to open markets and create access to a different pool of new collectors. Thanks to an individual outreach which started well before the fair, the experiment proved successful. "Fortunately, many collectors from the Gulf already know artists from Central Asia, as there are a few art galleries in the UAE which represent them, as well as institutions like the Sharjah Foundation,” Djaltchinova-Malec stated. In addition, many collectors and artists from Russia who are knowledgeable about Central Asian narratives and sensitive to colonization issues, are now based in the UAE. “We tried to involve as many collectors from other circles as...

1 month ago

Central Asian Art Art and Culture Culture

Asia Now Creating a Market for Central Asian Art in Paris

When we think about spreading knowledge of Central Asian art in Europe, we might think of exhibitions, of festivals, of panels and talks, not necessarily of an art fair. However, in the contemporary art world, it is today the market, more than art critics, which dictates the emergence of certain art scenes as a whole. For the historically underrepresented Central Asian art market, smaller fairs represent today an important alley, more than the big fairs such as Art Basel – which just had its second Paris iteration this October. Smaller “boutique fairs,” as they are called, often present curated programming which allow a wide public – not just collectors and buyers – to enjoy the art as it was an exhibition. A selling one, of course. In Paris, the most relevant fair which has historically presented Central Asian artists to the European public is called Asia Now, and it took place in Paris from October 17 to 20. Entirely dedicated to Asian art, the fair has historically tried to fill the gap for Central Asian art in the European market in the past ten years of its existence. The fair has selected more than 70 leading and emerging contemporary art galleries from all over the world, presenting more than 220 artists coming from 26 territories from all over Asia and its diaspora, stretching from Central Asia to the Asia-Pacific, including West, South, South-East, and East Asia. Their commitment to expanding knowledge of Central Asian art in Europe culminated last year in a show which was indeed focused on Central Asia, and curated by the artist group Slav and Tatars. While seminal Central Asian galleries such as the Aspan Gallery from Almaty and Pygmalion Gallery from Astana didn’t return to Asia Now this year, the fair still presented a number of Central Asian artists and practices, interspersed between the main show, and the booths. Central Asian Artists in the Radicant’s Main Show The main exhibition of Asia Now was curated by Radicants, a collective founded by art critic Nicolas Bourriaud, and it was centered on sacred ceremonies seen as a powerful tool for re-examining societal structures and reconnecting with ancestral roots. Called “Ceremony,” the main show was co-curated by Nicolas Bourriaud and Alexander Burenkov, a curator of Russian origins who has been working for a long time with Central Asian narratives, which are also featured prominently in the show. [caption id="attachment_25510" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Image: TCA, Naima Morelli[/caption] The idea of ceremony ties to the tenth anniversary of the art fair, but at the same time the curators opted to explore the nuances of ritual as both a "celebration of ancestral wisdom" and a "critical tool for interrogating and redefining established traditions and power dynamics." As Burenkov noted, the decision to use the theme of ceremony emerged after conversations with Asia Now director Alexandra Fain. “The choice fell on ‘ceremony’ in all its variability and polysemy [was used] to explore the non-obvious meanings of ritual through the eyes of contemporary artists...

2 months ago

Kazakh Art Art and Culture

An Exploration of Identity by Kazakh Artist Gulnur Mukazhanova

There are some abstract works that can feel like a spiritual encounter. We are all familiar with the work of Mark Rothko, a master in materializing emotions and bringing viewers to transcendence through simple hues, nuances, and color gradients. Far fewer people however, will be aware of Gulnur Mukazhanova, a Kazakh artist whose felt paintings are imbued with a tenderness that offers viewers solace and comfort, and grounded in hope, open new horizons. When I first saw the artist’s work at the Parisian art fair ‘Asia Now’ two years ago, I was immediately struck by her unique use of wool and felt in the creation of abstract art. Delicate and evocative at once, her work successfully elevates craft to the status of fine art. [caption id="attachment_21715" align="alignnone" width="732"] Photo: Estefania Landesmann: Gulnar at work[/caption] Born in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, shortly before the end of the USSR, the artist has been working with textiles since beginning her practice, and influenced by Kazakh traditions, employs felt as a primary material. Mukazhanova studied at the Art Academy in Almaty and later, at the Kunst Hochschule in Berlin Weißensee. She has now lived and worked in Berlin for many years and it was here, that she started to process her Kazakh origins, heritage, and the state of society, with an international audience in mind. Spiritual and emotional, her abstractions are informed by issues concerning identity and the transformation of traditional values of her native culture in the age of globalization. TCA caught up with Gulnur to discuss her latest work, her creative process, and how her Kazakh origins continue to influence her art. TCA: What initially drew you to art and how did your journey begin? GM: My earliest memories involve drawing animals when I was around five years old. My cousin, also an artist, had a significant influence on me and was the first person to open my eyes to the world of art. I studied art at the university in Kazakhstan and then moved to Berlin, initially to study textile design. However, I quickly realized that design wasn’t my path and so, shifted my focus to more experimental approaches with textiles. By the end of my studies in Berlin, I was fully immersed in working with felt and it has remained a central part of my practice ever since. [caption id="attachment_21716" align="alignnone" width="2500"] Photo: Thierry Bal : Öliara & the Dark Moon[/caption] TCA: Your work often carries deep emotional and historical weight, as illustrated by your series “Öliara: The Dark Moon” and your abstract self-portraits. How do you approach abstraction in these works? GM: “Öliara: The Dark Moon” was a solo show in Mimosa House in London that dealt with dark periods in Kazakh history, particularly the tragic events of "Bloody January" 2022. The series reflects on life, death, and the fragile nature of existence; themes that are unfortunately all too relevant in our world today. The felt pieces in this series are abstract allowing them a deep emotional resonance which would not be afforded by a...

5 months ago

Art and Culture International Cooperation

Almaty’s Aspan Gallery Champions Central Asian Art at Home and Abroad

“It’s difficult to be a point, but it’s easy to be a line, as everything in our world is moving.” The quote by Soviet avant-garde artist Sergey Kalmykov became the title of a 2020 show by Kazakh artists Almagul Menlibayeva and Yerbossyn Meldibekov, the first exhibition by Almaty-based gallery Aspan to be staged in the UK. This concept of continuous movement aptly describes the nine-year trajectory of the Aspan Gallery, founded and directed by Meruyert Kaliyeva. Maintaining its focus on contemporary Central Asian art, the gallery is constantly expanding and adapting to the dynamic of the international art world. [caption id="attachment_20211" align="aligncenter" width="776"] Dilyara Kaipova @Aspan[/caption] The story of how the gallery came into being is unconventional. Meruyert Kaliyeva studied art in the UK, with the intention of practicing as an artist. She soon discovered, however, that the life of an artist was not for her and explained to TCA: “To be an artist, you must sacrifice your social and family life. You must disconnect from it all, and I was not willing to do that.” At the same time, she noticed that unlike her, many individuals at art school seemed destined to become artists. "Some people don’t have the luxury of choice,” she recalls. “I felt that these people needed to focus solely on creating art, and I realised I could help unburden them from some practical preoccupations.” After four years and a half working in auction houses in the UK, Kaliyeva finally decided to return to Kazakhstan. Having quickly realised the importance of supporting artists in a region where institutional support for contemporary art is extremely limited, she opened what is now the Aspan Gallery. Kaliyeva’s mission was twofold. In tandem with developing the Central Asian art scene locally, through staging important historical exhibitions, publishing books and catalogues, and commissioning artists, she also concentrated on disseminating knowledge of Central Asian art abroad. A case in point is Aspan’s recent, significant donation to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. The donation was curated by Robbie Schweiger, based on research conducted in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and with input from Kaliyeva, connections were drawn between Central Asian artists and the Stedelijk’s permanent collection. The Times of Central Asia spoke to Kaliyeva about both the donation and the growth of the Kazakh art scene over the past few years. TCA: Why did you choose the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam for such a significant donation? MK: We were keen to have some of our artists represented in major institutions and identified three museums as contenders. The first on the list was the Stedelijk, which already held a collection of Central Asian art. The donation comprised 22 works by 13 artists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, spanning almost fifty years, from 1974 to 2020. Works from the 1970s and 1980s, created by artists associated with the underground art scene of the former Soviet republics, were complemented by work made after these republics gained independence in the early 1990s., in which artists explored national...

6 months ago