The November Issue: Dubai Design Week Here We Come
Design Dreams Come True; Reminiscing Miami Art Week; Dubai Design Week Explainer; News; and Two Exhibitions of the Month
Hello Friends,
The universe (or in this case — a gentleman named Adnan Abbasi) heard my cries and prayers from a few newsletters ago, and I will be heading to Dubai Design Week this coming week on November 4th! This is a huge bucket list trip for me, as I’ve been eager to visit and discover the local design scene there. Adnan is the founder of a comms agency, handling international PR for Dubai Design Week. In advance of the trip, he sent me everything I needed to know in preparation, including news of the Middle East’s first collectible design gallery. More on that below.
This month is the big preparation for Miami Art Week in December, and it’s been so long since I’ve been that I wouldn’t mind experiencing the craziness again. My last visit was around 2016 if I’m correct, when the city was flooding and facing insane amounts of traffic that it could barely handle, so I held off on returning. I moderated a few panels which looking back was pretty amazing, I was so young! I still am. Call me, panel organizers 📲. I got to see Chromeo (shout out to Dave1, a major collector of Brazilian design) with my sister, one of my favorite memories. So that’s to say, if you’ve got the hookup, it’s always a fun visit. If you don’t, prepare to suffer FOMO a little. Speaking of, the always hooked-up co-founder-Leo was just reminiscing about the 2021 edition when he was invited to a Vogue yacht party (that’s what happens when the Vogue girls love you, I haven’t reached that pinnacle yet or ever), and later snuck into an exclusive mansion party with Brecht Wright Gander.
I remember those mid-aughts when Miami’s design scene really felt like it was having a moment. There was one person, in particular, driving it forward — though later they were accused of not returning unsold works (choosing my words carefully here 👀) —and we haven’t heard much from them since. AD threw an extravagant party at the James Hotel, complete with all-you-can-eat tacos and temporary tattoo stations! You could even get into Soho House, bring guests, AND make friends there — it was like a dream, maybe even the golden years!
So if you are heading to Miami, keep checking our website for exhibition updates. We aren’t posting too much on Instagram these days, but we are constantly adding new events to the site.
Speaking of Instagram, I am curious if our audience is still engaging on that forsaken app. We have a healthy following we should be informing, but the effort vs reward for posting does not feel like it’s worth our time anymore. Are you still using it? Or just watching weird reels?
Keep reading for more, and:
In this issue:
News News News 🚨
A Dubai Design Week Explainer 🇦🇪
Exhibition of the month 🇫🇷
A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
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News News News
Endeavor, the majority owner of Frieze since 2016, is now exploring a potential sale of the fair. With numerous new editions and acquisitions since then, this makes for a particularly interesting development. The Art Newspaper
Print is dead, yet Costco Magazine is thriving, and here’s why. NY Times
Speaking of print, Hugh Heffner’s son is offering to buy back the Playboy brand for $100 M. How on earth could they revive it, I have no idea. Maybe a furniture brand. WSJ
The most predictable news of 2024: Banana Republic’s furniture line is no more. BOH
I love an art world scammer story. NYT
Speaking of scams, “Can a Million-Dollar Banana Save the Art Market?” 🙄🙄🙄 Puck
Another BOH feature by our favorite Fred Nicolaus about celebrity home tour backlash. BOH
The V&A's innovative museum concept, East Storehouse, is set to open in May 2025 at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford. V&A
Leo and I are big fans of design pal Jaime Derringer’s substack. Here’s a recent post I enjoyed about the cycle of artist process videos on social media.
Another great one by FOR SCALE that hits home:
If you are a magazine: you should note that people are getting excited about V-O-I-C-E and C-R-I-T-I-Q-U-E, and you mostly lack both.
Ouch. Hehe.
A new trade show for music and fashion will debut next Fashion Week in Milan. WWD
Dubai Design Week Preview
Monday morning I will be landing in Dubai to visit and write about Dubai Design Week. I’m mainly looking to understand the fair, the target visitor, and of course, to see the designs on view (and to meet new pals, too). In advance of the event, via press kits and some research, I am starting to wrap my head around the activations, and next month I’ll touch on the experience and who should plan a visit next November.
To start: the anchor of Dubai Design Week is Downtown Design, a fair held at d3's (Dubai Design District) Waterfront Terrace. Exhibitors include international design brands — established and up-and-coming, with special attention given to emerging regional talent. I see some familiar names on the floor plan — including Danish pals Gubi, Audo, and Ferm Living. Emerging design platform Isola has a booth, as well as heritage Italian brands Poltrona Frau and B&B Italia. Quality seems high and wide-ranging, so this appears to be a good potential fair for EU and USA brands looking to present in, and expand to, the Middle East. I’ll get the low down for those who are curious!
Another event is Editions, a smaller curated section next to the main fair, billed as Dubai’s first fair dedicated to limited-edition pieces. There are just over 50 exhibitors presenting contemporary design, photography, prints, ceramics, and works on paper, with the goal of making art collecting more accessible to a broader audience. The only gallery exhibitor I recognize is Waddington Custot (because the charming son of the owner was at Sotheby’s Institute with me this past year). But not being familiar is very exciting — there will be lots to discover!
I am most excited to visit Collectional, the first and only collectible design gallery in the Middle East. They have an impressive program, bringing the world’s best international designers and brands to the region. The exhibition on view for Design Week, running until mid-December, is called UNEARTHING: The Alchemy of Mexican Metalwork, presenting works by Mexico City-based EWE Studio, headed by extremely talented duo Héctor Esrawe and Manu Bañó. These two create infinitely tasteful designs that are elegant, sculptural, luxurious, and always rooted in artisanal techniques.
Exhibition of the Month: Precious Strength: Maria Pergay Across the Decades
As I wrap up my MA in Decorative Arts & Design here in London, I’ve been struck by how often I’ve encountered the names Suzanne Demisch and Stephane Danant in my research. They are *the* Maria Pergay experts, and wrote a comprehensive catalog of her works (which you can buy here), among other literature. One must appreciate this lifelong dedication, so go see the exhibition and become a Maria Pergay expert yourself! It will be great. It’s on view now until the end of the month.
Bonus Exhibition of the Month: ALAÏA/KURAMATA Lightness In Creation
This has been on view for a while, but it needs to go on your radar - especially if you’re headed to Paris for Design Week or in town for the new carpet show. I’m sure our Parisian friends are well aware of this show! Lightness in Creation places the work of Azzedine Alaïa and Shiro Kuramata side by side, showcasing how these two artists, though different in medium, shared a poetic sensibility. Alaïa’s couture pieces and Kuramata’s furniture and objects echo each other through materials, forms, and a unique sense of lightness and abstraction. A must-see!
Thank you as always for making it to the end! I hope you are feeling educated and informed.
Don’t forget to visit The Design Release for daily updates of exhibitions and fairs happening worldwide, and you can submit your event here.
Wishing everyone a beautiful November. I hope to see you soon.
❤️
Julia (and hello from Leo and Zack)
tee hee
Ooooh Let me know all about Dubai! I’ve never been but very curious!