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      Melissa Gronlund

      Melissa Gronlund

      Art Correspondent
      Location
      London
      Melissa is an art correspondent for The National. Originally from New York City, she studied comparative literature at Princeton University and film aesthetics at Oxford. She is the author of Contemporary Art and Digital Culture. From 2007–2014 she lectured on contemporary art at Oxford University's Ruskin School of Drawing & Fine Art and co-edited the journal Afterall, based in London.
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      Articles

      Kenaza Schaal and Christopher Myers, the creators of Cartographies, in front of the artwork's map in its early stages
      Camera7
      NYUAD's ‘Cartography’ seeks for a greater understanding of the plight of refugees

      ‘Cartography’ seeks to bring about a greater understanding of the plight of refugees. We explore how

      June 24, 2018
      A work in progress by Hashel Al Lamki. Victor Besa / The National
      Camera6
      At Abu Dhabi's Bait 15, artist in residence takes on whole new meaning

      In a villa near Salam Street in Abu Dhabi, bedrooms have been turned into exhibition spaces by five people who believe grassroots art is the way ahead

      ArtJune 21, 2018
      ‘Fountain of Light’ (2016) by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei shines in the last room of Louvre Abu Dhabi but the sculpture has an intriguing history dating back to 1919 Christopher Pike / The National
      What's the story behind Ai Weiwei's Fountain of Light?

      Each week in this new series we analyse a piece of art that is on show in the UAE. Here we look at the remarkable ‘Fountain of Light’

      ArtJune 20, 2018
      An illustration by Warner Bros of Mohammed Al Mubarak with Batman and Bugs Bunny. Courtesy Warner Bros
      Mohammed Al Mubarak on the soon to be opened Warner Bros theme park

      'I’ve been a collector and an avid reader of comic books, turned into an avid viewer of the comic book genre movies. I do call myself an extreme fan boy,' he says

      FamilyJune 13, 2018
      The salon-style hang at Lawrie Shabibi. Showing works by: Amir Khojasteh, Mohammed Kazem, Farhad Ahrarnia and Philip Mueller. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National)
      Camera9
      In pictures: a new artwork for every day of Ramadan

      Lawrie Shabibi is hanging an artwork by a new artist every day throughout the month – both from artists the gallery represents, and from their neighbours in Alserkal Avenue

      ArtJune 13, 2018
      “We’re designing it as a child would design his or her library,” says Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi
      Camera5
      New Abu Dhabi Children's Library to open next year - in pictures

      The refurbished Qasr Al Hosn will be accompanied by a museum and the new Abu Dhabi Children’s Library

      BooksJune 13, 2018
      Umer Butt (left) and Hetal Pawani (right) in the Grey Noise gallery in Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz in Dubai: they have called a halt on regular exhibitions for a five month period, moved offices into the exhibitions space and temporarily changed their name to Losers Club. Pawan Singh / The National
      A Dubai gallery celebrates its commercial failure

      Reflecting on its 10 years, the always challenging Grey Noise gallery questions meaning of success

      ArtJune 11, 2018
      German Chancellor Angela Merkel is illuminated in the photo, with the statesmen around her looking almost posed - how very Caravaggio. Reuters
      Why the Trump and Merkel photo echoes a 15th century Baroque Italian masterpiece

      Well, his is a face that has launched a thousand memes: defiant, petulant, uncomprehending

      ArtJune 11, 2018
      Elizabeth Dorazio’s work at NYUAD Project Space features the baobab tree from her native Brazil. Victor Besa / The National
      Elizabeth Dorazio's NYUAD show that listens to the sounds of nature

      The artist creates galaxies of the imagination, pairing paintings of the stars and desert with the work of local palm frond artisans

      ArtJune 11, 2018
      Indian silent film ‘Shiraz: A Love Story’ was chosen for Cinem’Art in relation to Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection of ornate Mughal paintings. Courtesy BFI
      Cinem’Art: Louvre Abu Dhabi launches first film programme

      A new programme inspired by artworks at Louvre Abu Dhabi will give unheralded films rare big-screen showings

      ArtJune 09, 2018
      Arwa Al Neami’s ‘Never Never Land’ series (2014-2017) is subject of an exhibition in Sharjah. Courtesy Arwa Al Neami
      Two artists’ investigations into public entertainment is subject of Sharjah exhibition

      The show, aptly, was jointly put together by the Maraya’s curator, Laura Metzler, and the Pakistani curator Aziz Sohail.

      ArtJune 04, 2018
      The film is made on Super 16mm – a kind of stock that lends a grainier look to the finished product. Commissioned by the Abraaj Group Art prize 2014
      In the frame: Basim Magdy, The Dent, 2014

      Each week we analyse a single piece of art that's on show in the UAE. Here is a deep dive into a very strange film

      ArtJune 03, 2018
      'Paul Guiragossian: Displacing Modernity'
      Four books that every Arab art fan should read

      We review four books that cover subjects as diverse as contemporary Arab art’s early years and a decade of Dubai’s Tashkeel space

      ArtMay 29, 2018
      Sheikh Zayed Falcon Release Programme in Kazakhstan. Courtesy Sheikh Zayed Falcon Release Programme
      Camera8
      How did the falcon become an emblem of power?

      A research project at NYUAD looks at the bird of prey’s place in history as an emblem of wealth and authority

      ArtMay 29, 2018
      'Inventory of Tradition' by Owais Husain. Courtesy Farjam Foundation
      Exhibit argues conflicted bordering nations share more than what divides them

      Although the individual works are strong, as a whole the show doesn’t hang together

      ArtMay 29, 2018
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