Melissa Gronlund

United Kingdom

Writer at Freelance

Art Correspondent at The National

Articles

Iraq's important archaeological sites under threat from real-estate development

1 week ago | theartnewspaper.com | Melissa Gronlund

A battle has erupted to save the archaeological site of Tell Al Sayyagh, part of the ancient city of Kufa in Iraq. The fierce discussion hinges on a growing issue in the country: the so-called “investment law”. Critics allege that members of Iraq’s State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) have used the law to allow development on hundreds of important ruins over the past ten years—sites now lost forever, chewed up by bulldozers and buried under concrete.
After a failed export block by the UK, Nicolas Poussin masterpiece goes on show at Louvre Abu Dhabi

2 weeks ago | theartnewspaper.com | Melissa Gronlund

After years of being inaccessible, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism will be making its vast holdings of art and artefacts public in the coming year. The collections began under Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of the UAE, and pre-date the country’s confederation, with the first acquisitions being made in 1968. The works now number in the thousands and while some have been periodically loaned to exhibitions, the totality of what DCT holds has remained unknown.
Regional strength helps insulate Art Dubai from tariff-related turbulence

3 weeks ago | theartnewspaper.com | Melissa Gronlund

Art Dubai (until 20 April) arrived this week like the canary in the coal mine: the first major art fair to open since US president Trump announced his plan for worldwide tariffs and nearly caused a global financial meltdown. But it’s questionable how much Art Dubai will reveal: sales were solid, and more broadly the fair and Dubai in general are outliers to the art market and the larger economy. For starters, works at Art Dubai are typically less expensive than the Art Basel or Frieze fairs.
Art Dubai consolide sa position de principale place de marché de la région

3 weeks 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

4 weeks 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

4 weeks 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

4 weeks 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

4 weeks 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 month 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

2 months 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.