Melissa Gronlund

United Kingdom

Writer at Freelance

Art Correspondent at The National

Articles

Art Dubai consolide sa position de principale place de marché de la région

1 week ago | artnewspaper.fr | Melissa Gronlund

Du 18 au 20 avril 2025, Art Dubai revient avec 30 nouveaux exposants, tout en conservant son cadre emblématique. Les VIP retrouveront le salon feutré surplombant le lagon du Madinat Jumeirah, les déjeuners libanais seront toujours servis en généreuses portions, et les galeristes prêteront une oreille attentive aux nouveaux accents et aux langues venues en force cette année. Mais si Art Dubai s’ouvre sur un décor familier, le paysage global des foires d’art, lui, est en pleine mutation.
teamlab’s vast new interactive art museum opens in Abu Dhabi

1 week ago | theartnewspaper.com | Melissa Gronlund

teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, a museum devoted to the interactive art of the Japanese collective teamLab, opens on 18 April in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District. The undulating 17,000 sq. m space is an important project for teamLab, which also has permanent museums across Asia and one in Jeddah. The exhibitions feature a changing roster of teamLab’s multi-sensory works, which evolve based on environmental conditions and the visitors’ presence in the room.
Abu Dhabi opens vast interactive art museum

1 week ago | theartnewspaper.com | Melissa Gronlund

teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, a museum devoted to the interactive art of the Japanese collective teamLab, opens on 18 April in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District. The undulating 17,000 sq. m space is an important project for teamLab, which also has permanent museums across Asia and one in Jeddah. The exhibitions feature a changing roster of teamLab’s multi-sensory works, which evolve based on environmental conditions and the visitors’ presence in the room.
Imran Qureshi’s site-specific work in Dubai reimagines traditional forms from his native Pakistan

1 week ago | theartnewspaper.com | Melissa Gronlund

Imran Qureshi’s solo exhibition at Concrete on Alserkal Avenue, curated by Nada Raza, reflects the artist’s exploration with scale, history and popular culture. Responding to the architectural challenges of the space, Qureshi juxtaposes large-scale works with intricate miniature paintings, videos and personal photographs. A key feature is his latest experiment with the charpai, a traditional form of low, woven bed found across South Asia.
Art Dubai is cementing its position as the region’s key art market

1 week ago | theartnewspaper.com | Melissa Gronlund |Aimee Dawson |Ann Binlot

There are 30 new exhibitors at Art Dubai this year but the framework remains the same. The VIP crowds will sit in the lounge by the lapping waters of the Madinat Jumeirah’s lagoon; the Lebanese lunch options will be served up in large portions; and gallerists will listen out for what new accents and languages are coming en masse this year. But if Art Dubai opens in a familiar landscape, the context of art fairs has changed dramatically.
This art historian is on a quest to ensure the story of Arab art is not lost

1 week ago | theartnewspaper.com | Melissa Gronlund |Jori Finkel

As Arab Modern art grows as a subject of interest among curators and scholars, the difficulties of conducting primary research on artists are becoming clear. Some archives and artworks are inaccessible due to conflict, while other material has been neglected. Families are reluctant to share personal records. And much of the writing about 20th-century Arab art is—unsurprisingly—in Arabic, which many researchers do not speak.
Masterwork by Mexico's foremost architect Luis Barragán becomes an art centre

1 month ago | ourcommunitynow.com | Melissa Gronlund

One of Luis Barragán’s finest masterpieces—a vast pink-walled hacienda on the outskirts of Mexico City—will from August become a centre for architecture and art. La Cuadra San Cristobal will encompass a permanent exhibition about the life and work of Mexico’s best-known architect, plus gallery spaces, artists’ studios, a library, gift shop and café. The project is the brainchild of the Mexican architect Fernando Romero, who says Barragán (1902-88) was his biggest influence as a young student.
Masterwork by Mexico's foremost architect Luis Barragán becomes an art centre

1 month ago | theartnewspaper.com | Melissa Gronlund |Jason Kaufman |Dorian Batycka |Gareth Harris

One of Luis Barragán’s finest masterpieces—a vast pink-walled hacienda on the outskirts of Mexico City—will from August become a centre for architecture and art. La Cuadra San Cristobal will encompass a permanent exhibition about the life and work of Mexico’s best-known architect, plus gallery spaces, artists’ studios, a library, gift shop and café. The project is the brainchild of the Mexican architect Fernando Romero, who says Barragán (1902-88) was his biggest influence as a young student.
Citing censorship, Pakistani artist Rabbya Naseer cancels show at Vienna museum

1 month ago | theartnewspaper.com | Melissa Gronlund |Martin Bailey |Catherine Hickley |Gareth Harris

The Pakistani artist Rabbya Naseer has pulled out of her solo exhibition at the Belvedere 21 Museum of Contemporary Art due to what she is alleges is censorship from the Vienna art space. Naseer says that over a period of seven months the institution refused to green-light any of her proposals, some of which responded to the conflict in Gaza. In December she released a video response detailing her withdrawal from the exhibition, which was due to open in February.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is due to finally open on 3 July, here’s a sneak peek

1 month ago | theartnewspaper.com | Anna Seaman |Gareth Harris |Melissa Gronlund |Aimee Dawson

It feels fitting that the mystery surrounding the official opening date of Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum seems to mirror the enduring enigma of how its magnificent neighbours, the ancient pyramids of Giza, were built. Its completion has been repeatedly delayed since it was first announced in 2002.