Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and in partnership with Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Design Days Dubai, the only collectible design fair in the Middle East and South Asia, returns to The Venue in Downtown Dubai (near Burj Khalifa) for its fifth edition with an exciting roster of new and returning exhibitors, alongside a popular public programme of special projects, talks, workshops and guided tours allowing visitors to discover and engage with design.

Retaining its position as the world’s most diverse design fair, Design Days Dubai brings together world-leading design galleries welcoming annual returning galleries Carpenters Workshop Gallery (UK/France/USA), Victor Hunt designArt Dealers (Belgium), Art Factum (Lebanon) and Gallery S. Bensimon (France) and newcomers J.C.T Haute Couture Interiors (France), Camp Design Gallery (Italy), Barcelona Design Gallery (Spain) and Dutch Creative Industry (The Netherlands): over 45 Exhibitors from a total of 20 countries.

“For the upcoming edition, we keep the diversity of the design creations as one of our main features. Reflecting Dubai’s unique position as a global meeting point, Design Days Dubai showcases design from around the world, in addition to design from the region. We have a unique format which positions young emerging galleries alongside the renowned, providing a first-time opportunity to exhibit at an international level; and for design enthusiasts, the opportunity to meet designers from all over the world and acquire collectible design not seen anywhere else.” said Cyril Zammit, Director of Design Days Dubai. 

Bringing together some of the world’s most exciting design talent, Design Days Dubai presents a cross-section of the world’s most exciting design: over 750 works from over 180 designers. Uniquely positioned as a fair of discovery, visitors will experience the vast variety and creativity that marks design today as well as having the opportunity to meet the designers and hear about their design process.

As a notable symbol of the growth and maturity of the design landscape in the UAE and the region, a record number of regional exhibitors showcase their design pieces this year. These include the first participation of Monogram and M.A.D Gallery (both Dubai), Samovar and Loulwa Al-Radwan (both Kuwait), Vick Vanlian and Georges Amatoury Studio (both Lebanon), Kalo (UAE) and Aisha Al-Sowaidi (Qatar). And, returning exhibitors: 1971 Design Space, Aljoud Lootah, Cities, Fatima bint Mohamed bin Zayed Initiative, Fadi Sarriedine, Nakkash Gallery, Shamsa Alabbar and Tashkeel, all based in the Emirates, along with Coalesce (Pakistan), Naqsh Collective (Jordan) and Squad Design (Lebanon).

Further afield, internationally-acclaimed Dutch designer Marcel Wanders makes his regional debut at Design Days Duba showing his ‘Personal Editions’ collection, an exclusive collection of limited edition boundary-pushing pieces combining traditional crafts and industrial processes. Other premieres include: ‘Golden Harvest’ by Brazilian designer Guto Requena for Gallery S.Bensimon (France), a 3-piece collection created using golden grass harvested from the Amazon; the debut of Italy’s Camp Design Gallery which brings captivating works by Veronica Todisco and Analogia Project including ‘PantheOn/PantheOff’, a lamp inspired by Rome’s famed Pantheon; sought-after designer Sabine Marcelis’s ‘Dawn Series’ exhibiting at Victor Hunt Designart Dealer (The Netherlands); and, for the first time in the region, the avant-garde works of Spanish designer Nacho Carbonell (presented by Carpenters Workshop Gallery, UK/USA/France).

The 2016 edition also sees the participation of Saudi Arabia’s new King Abdullaziz Center for World Culture, Dutch Creative Industry’s presentation of 13 Dutch designers, returning exhibitor Crafts Council with the best of UK craft and a special showcase of design from Shanghai. All demonstrate the growing importance of reaching a global audience through the platform of Design Days Dubai.

As a celebration of the fair’s 5 years and it’s legacy and commitment to supporting and nurturing local and regional design talent; Design Days Dubai presents ‘WASL’, supported by Dubai Design District (d3) and Dubai Culture, the largest retrospective of design from the UAE to date bringing together 25 of the UAE’s emerging and established designers and makers. All pieces on display have been designed or produced in the UAE over the past 5 years or so; since the launch of Design Days Dubai in 2012, marking a very positive milestone in the nascent UAE design scene and Design Days Dubai’s role as a catalyst to the development of Emirati design talent. Works on show vary from furniture objects to lighting, floor and wall to graphic prints showing the diversity of local talent.

Fair Director of Design Days Dubai, Cyril Zammit said: “Design Days Dubai has been a great push for the regional appreciation of design. We opened the door to high design, the very specific art of producing exquisite pieces in limited edition or even to commission an object just for you. In the 5 years since the fair’s launch in 2012, the design scene has matured and fostered a new generation of designers. As a tribute to them we present ‘WASL’”.

Alongside ‘WASL’, design initiatives in partnership with Van Cleef & Arpels, the fourth edition of Van Cleef & Arpel’s Middle East Emergent Designer Prize; art and design organisaton Tashkeel; and Dubai Culture and d3’s Urban Commissions competition focus on a brand new generation of UAE-based designers.

About Design Days Dubai

Now in its fifth edition, Design Days Dubai (March 14-18, 2016) is the Middle East and South Asia’s only collectible design fair, presenting over 250 limited edition modern and contemporary design pieces from 40 of the world’s established and emerging galleries and design talent, alongside a public programme of special projects, talks, workshops and guided tours.

A pillar event of Art Week, Design Days Dubai returns to its dedicated premises; The Venue, Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, in Downtown Dubai with the continued support of returning sponsors since its 2012 launch edition, including the strategic partnership of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, the Emirate’s dedicate Authority for culture, arts and heritage; French high-jewellery Maison Van Cleef & Arpels; Audi; and, Emaar.

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For more information, images and interview requests for Design Days Dubai, please contact:
Ciara Phillips

[email protected]

tel +971 (0)55 650 7431