Design Miami is the latest art fair to announce an Arabian Gulf expansion this year, announcing plans to launch its inaugural Dubai edition in early 2027. The event will take place in the Alserkal Avenue gallery district, with which Design Miami has signed a multi-year partnership.
This fair is currently holding its 20th anniversary show in Miami Beach (until 7 December). It also stages an annual edition in Paris, established in 2023. Its longstanding Basel show, launched in 2006, was suspended earlier this year. “We are considering new and thoughtful ways to expand our platform so we can continue to show up for our international collector base,” a Design Miami spokesperson told The Art Newspaper in June.
Design Miami Dubai follows the announcements of Art Basel Qatar and Frieze Abu Dhabi (both launching in 2026), as Western art businesses increasingly eye the Arabian Gulf as a promising source of revenue.
Full details on the inaugural Design Miami Dubai, including participating galleries and the format, will be revealed closer to the run date. It will be led by Jennifer Roberts, chief executive of Design Miami, and Jesse Lee, the chairman of Design Miami and founder of Basic.Space, which acquired Design Miami in 2023. Vilma Jurkute, the executive director of Alserkal, will oversee the curation and operations of the fair. Beyond the annual trade show, the collaboration between Design Miami and Alskerkal Avenue will also establish a year-round programme of design events, including talks and an educational initiative.
“Alserkal has played a crucial role in building and shaping an international creative district in Dubai,” Roberts told The National. “Through this partnership, we see a great opportunity to exemplify our shared values and belief that design is a global language.
