Design Miami announces programming highlights for the 20th edition of its Miami Beach fair, returning to its flagship location at Pride Park from December 4 - 8, 2024, with Preview Day on December 3. Under curatorial director Glenn Adamson’s chosen theme, Blue Sky, over 45 world-leading galleries will present contemporary and historic highlights that demonstrate the power of a ‘blue sky thinking’ approach to design - past, present, and future.

Design Miami CEO, Jen Roberts says: "We are thrilled to be returning to our home roots for our flagship 20th edition, following a momentous year that started with our inaugural Los Angeles edition in May, before a successful Basel fair in June, and our return to Paris in October. This edition’s curatorial theme, Blue Sky, places a spotlight on design that exceeds expectations. This embodies the very mission of Design Miami, to bring together like-minded members of our global community to celebrate design’s greatest thinkers and makers”.

Design Miami 2024 Curatorial Director, Glenn Adamson says: “The choice to be led by the Blue Sky curatorial theme felt only natural for this 20th edition of Design Miami. The theme presents an opportunity to celebrate Design Miami’s role as a platform for the 21st century avant-garde - showcasing the very best in contemporary and historic design for two decades. Design is inherently a speculative venture, and also a collective one - a shared framework of reference at a time of global interconnection. The same sky is above us all".

Design Miami 2024 gallery and Curio highlights

The Blue Sky theme invites diverse engagement from exhibitors, underpinned by a commitment to design that exceeds expectations through bold leaps of imagination, thoughtful material innovation, and a respect for the natural world that houses us all under one, shared sky. Under this shared theme, several key thematic threads may be identified:

Optimistic Design: Radical Invention. Taking a ‘blue sky thinking’ approach, the theme is a celebration of design as a fundamentally optimistic human activity, giving way to radical invention through conceptual and material innovation.

The Future Perfect (New York) will reflect on the curatorial theme Blue Sky through a curated presentation of almost 100 new works from over 20 artists and designers, including Anina Major, Laurids Gallée, Olivia Cognet, Vikram Goyal, and Sophie Lou Jacobsen. The exhibition space will serve as a continued exploration of bifurcation, leveraging the concept of day and night occurring under a singular sky. One half of the booth will be dedicated to showcasing an exhibition of works from a myriad of emerging and established artists, including the likes of Chris Wolston, Floris Wubben, Jane Yang-D’Haene, John Hogan, Lindsey Adelman, and Thompson Street Studio. This constellation of objects comprises pieces made especially for the fair alongside works that feel familiar in origin, but represent massive leaps in skill and practice. The second side will center on the work of New Delhi-based designer Vikram Goyal, who is making his United States debut at Design Miami. Trained as an engineer, Goyal’s work utilizes artisanal techniques apparent in the rich legacy of Indian craft, to create modern and contemporary designs.

Charles Burnand Gallery (London) presents a celebration of futuristic thinking and the limitless possibilities of creative expression. The presentation is defined by the remarkable array of materials being utilized by the selected designers. At the centerpiece of the exhibition will be an otherworldly, six-meter-wide lighting installation by Korean artist Heechan Kim, created from ash wood veneer and copper wire. Other works include a monumental limestone dining table worked by the hands of Steven John Clark for denHolm; a cabinet crafted in wood, washi paper, and urishi lacquer from Yanxiong Kim; the eco-conscious and highly innovative pieces of Studio Furthermore; the beauty of recycled dichroic glass by Dawn Bendick; intricately crafted woven metals, wood, and traditional Korean ottchil lacquer from Kyeok Kim; and an inventive set of works crafted from hurricane-felled mahogany by Reynold Rodriguez.

Southern Guild (Cape Town/Los Angeles) returns to Design Miami with a focused presentation of contemporary ceramics by 12 artists from Africa who are shaping the discourse around the medium’s international resurgence. The work on show considers ceramics’ ancient origins while showcasing progressive approaches to form, technique, symbolism, and utility. The medium of ceramics occupies a unique position across the continent, being among the most enduring and relevant forms of material culture in Africa. Ceramic objects reveal evolutions in technology, belief systems, ritual, aesthetics, and domestic life, helping us to understand shifts in geography, history, politics, and society. The gallery will present furniture, sculpture and vessels by leading ceramic artists, including Belinda Blignaut, Andile Dyalvane, Madoda Fani, Ian Garrett, Katherine Glenday, King Houndekpinkou, Michal Korycki, Justine Mahoney, Chuma Maweni, Jabulile Nala, Ben Orkin, and Zizipho Poswa. Additional works by Rich Mnisi, Jesse Ede, and Ange Dakouo will also be on show. Highlights include an edition of a ceramic lamp first made for Loewe by Zizipho Poswa, whose practice pays intimate homage to the women within her extended community, honoring the passing of knowledge through generations.

Meanwhile, winner of the Design Miami 2023 Best Gallery Presentation award, Gallery FUMI (London) will chart the history of groundbreaking design through a celebration of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary works, with a number commissioned especially for the fair. The designers spotlighted will include Max Lamb, Eelko Moorer, Emma Witter, and Sam Orlando Miller.

Living with design

The theme also gives curatorial focus to exploring the multitude of ways design offers an insight into our personal living habits.

Sarah Myerscough Gallery (London) will delve into the forms and dimensions of the bedroom space, and how this nocturnal sanctuary is intricately connected to the needs of the human body. Catering to activities such as rest, daydreaming, dressing, and solitude, these spaces and furnishings hold profound significance to our daily lives - revealing the imprints of familiar routines and enduring use. The curated exhibition will showcase a collection of works from designers and artists, all centered around furnishing a bedroom. Highlights include an Ethereal bed and accompanying side tables by distinguished designer Marc Fish, whose creative process is informed by rigorous material research. Tadeas Podracky, an experimental designer based in the Czech Republic, will contribute a striking mirror - evocative of the opulent aesthetics of Rococo design. Complementing these pieces will be a monumental cleft wardrobe by Peter Marigold and Tadanori Tozawa, introducing an architectural presence to the space. Additionally, a number of specially commissioned works by a diverse array of designers - including the likes of Gareth Neal, Lin Fanglu, Diana Scherer, and Nic Webb - will enrich the bedroom space with craftsmanship and artistic vision, inviting viewers to reconsider the significance of their own personal sanctuaries.

Lamb Gallery (London) will make its debut in the fair’s Curio program, presenting an immersive environment that will welcome visitors into a living room setting. The exhibition, titled Magnetic midnight maison, will unveil Lucía Echavarría’s newest capsule collection. Exploring Echavarría’s personal anthology of Colombian craft, and drawing inspiration from Miami’s surrounding coastal palette and Art Deco design cues, the furniture collection blends traditional Colombian artistry with a current Miami flair.

Color investigations

Amongst the highlights of this year’s 20th edition of Design Miami, is a celebration of color and its role in expressing and evoking an emotional response to design.

Marking its Design Miami debut, Theoreme Editions (Paris, London) will present a curated exhibition exploring themes of materiality and color. The gallery will showcase a selection of furniture and objects in a bespoke range of materials and colors conceived specifically for the fair. Each piece is expertly crafted by hand, from onyx, mohair, plaster adorned with white gold leaf, and a new shade of translucent blue resin.

David Gill Gallery (London) will explore themes of form, material, and color through the lens of French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s quote, “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”. The gallery will place a spotlight on the color blue, investigating its connection to human emotions. The rippling surface of Zaha Hadid’s Liquid glacial stool will spark a dialogue with British designer Barnaby Barford’s cloud-like ceramic mirror; meanwhile, Mattia Bonetti’s signature blue-fur armchair, Big Jim, will introduce a surrealist touch to the presentation. Nick Thomm (Los Angeles, Melbourne) will return to Design Miami’s Curio program, also investigating modern color systems. The immersive exhibition will explore abstract image construction - showcasing designs that seamlessly merge traditional craft with technology, resulting in a hypnotic combination of form and color.

The power of nature

In approaching the curatorial theme, many galleries acknowledge how design harnesses the power of the natural world, offering a platform to place a spotlight on eco-conscious designers and their works.

Ateliers Courbet (New York) will present a group exhibition titled Sculpt - exploring the synergy between natural and manipulated forms and textures. The presentation will demonstrate how inspiration drawn from the natural world undergoes a transformation when interwoven with human ingenuity. The result is a captivating exploration of the dynamic relationship between nature’s influence and the creative interventions of mankind. The exhibition will showcase the work of 13 international designers, including the likes of French sculptor Philippe Anthonioz, Belgian designer Pieter Maes, and seventh-generation Japanese marquetry master, Shuji Nakagawa, amongst others.

Galerie Negropontes (Paris) will return to Design Miami, with a curated exhibition exploring natural elements and materials. Highlights include a series of sculptural furniture designs by Gianluca Pacchioni, featuring metal silhouettes punctuated with large pieces of onyx; and Benjamin Poulanges’s Origine series, created to push the boundaries of traditional ceramic craft by transforming the material into canvases on which to paint his exuberant forms.

Mindy Solomon Gallery (Miami) will present works that speak to the cool, blue-gray, and earthy terrain of the Patagonia region. Highlights include works by Inchin Lee, recognized for his use of taking a contemporary spin on traditional pottery practices. Inspired by imagery of thatched houses and mountain ranges, Lee frequently uses colored glazes to depict pastoral scenery upon urns, bottles, bowls, and plates. Meanwhile, Australian designers Tanya Singer, Errol Evans, and Trent Jansen will present a cross-cultural design collaboration titled Kurunpa kunpu | strong spirit, as part of Design Miami’s Curio program. The exhibition adopts a critical, research-led design approach, investigating the climatic conditions experienced in the center of Australia.

Ukrainian artist, Victoria Yakusha (Antwerp) returns to the Design Miami Curio program to present her new collection Grun. Recognized for her fusion of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design principles, Yakusha’s newest collection explores the extraordinary land of Ukrainian Polissia - home to boundless forests, dense carpets of soft moss, and sleepy swamps. When creating the collection, Yakusha was inspired to create a series of works that transcend mere functionality, to evoke an emotional response and an authentic connection to the natural world. Each design presents a unique geometry that mirrors its natural inspiration, whilst dark green upholstery evokes moss-covered forest hills, and is accented with beaded details reminiscent of morning dew.

Iconic design: past, present and future

In celebration of Design Miami’s 20th edition, designers offer insights into iconic eras of design history spanning past, present, and future epochs.

Los Angeles-based design studio, Nuova (Los Angeles), presents Time travel, an experience-based work first previewed at Milan Design Week 2024. Blending elements of multi-sensorial exhibition and immersive performance, the work debuts an interpretation of America’s first time travel portal, inviting guests to embark on a journey back in time, to 1971. Combining sensory elements of fragrance, music, gastronomy, and theater, Nuova’s commitment to holistic design and craftsmanship promises “momentary escapism” within the context of Miami’s rich design history.

Tracing key moments from presentations across the decades, R and Company (New York / Los Angeles) follows their historic appreciation and preservation of 20th century design. Platforming a unique combination of iconic works by historic designers such as Wendell Castle and Verner Panton, as well as a selection of contemporary artists including Stephanie Sayar and Charbel Garibeh, Rogan Gregory, Roberto Lugo, and Jeff Zimmerman, the presentation offers a truly cross-generational approach.

Likewise, Galerie Patrick Seguin (Paris) presents defining works by Jean Royere including the Sphere coffee table, Persan floor lamp, and Sangles sofa. Meanwhile, Friedman Benda (New York / Los Angeles) spans far reaching geographic regions and generations to highlight iconic designers from Carmen D’Apollonio, Raphael Navot, and Joris Laarman, to Fernando Laposse, nendo, and Javier Senosiain.

Showcasing within this year’s Curio program, Meritalia (Milan) will present a curated exhibition titled Le edizioni del Pesce. The gallery will spotlight one of the great Italian design masters, Gaetano Pesce, to pay homage to his creativity and ongoing creative partnership with the brand. A thread throughout previous editions of Design Miami, Meritalia connects Gaetano’s impression in the United States with his roots in Italian design, presenting a range of items - from umbrella racks and coat hangers, to mirrors and lamps, all showcasing his unparalleled skill in manipulating unusual materials.

Under one sky: a global outlook

The theme also draws on the concept of our global community living under one sky, with galleries from across the globe coming together at Design Miami to spotlight artistic voices from around the world.

Based in Mumbai, æquō Gallery (Mumbai) highlights a unique blend of India’s traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design to present a curated selection of pieces all speaking to new explorations, narratives, and design dialogues. This year’s presentation will feature works by Frédéric Imbert, Valériane Lazard, and Florence Louisy, amongst others. Each piece embodies the essence of æquō’s philosophy: a balanced collaboration where both designer and artisan share equal prominence. Focusing on contemporary Japanese artists, Ippodo Gallery (New York) similarly places a focus on traditional materials or mediums such as ceramic, metal, and wood to trace the journey of recursive design, engineering, and prototyping across the years.

Looking to the Nordic regions, Hostler Burrows (New York/Los Angeles) will present new works by a selection of female contemporary artists and designers including Stine Bidstrup, Yuki Ferdinandsen, and Astrid Krogh among others; while Diletante (São Paulo) will highlight iconic works by Brazilian furniture designers, Lina Bo Bardi and Jose Caldas to explore concepts of modernity within Brazilian design. Mercado Moderno (Rio de Janeiro) will likewise focus on Brazilian design, spotlighting the works of Sergio Rodrigues, Percival Lafer, Joaquim Tenreiro, Inês Schertel, Zanine Caldas, and Jorge Zalszupin.

A debut gallerist at Design Miami, Sally Dan-Cuthbert Art and Design Pty Ltd (New South Wales) will present a diverse range of works from significant Australian artists. Highlighting central themes of environment, flora and fauna, and climate through a diverse grouping of designers and artists from different regions of Australia, the presentation will offer a fresh perspective on the intricacies of Australian design today. Artists will include: Olive Gill-Hille, Damien Wright, Bonhula Yunupingu, David Tate, Sarah Rayner, Charles Travalyen, Darren Fry, Rive Roshan, and Sophie Carnell.

New Voices at Design Miami. A stage for emerging talent, this year’s fair will introduce an array of emerging designers and debut exhibitors including Boccara Gallery, Dobrinka Salzman, Donzella, Gallery Sally Dan Cuthbert, JCRD Design, and Theoreme Editions within the Gallery program. Making their debut within the Curio program includes 1882 LTD, Anna Karlin, blunk space, Lamb Gallery, Meritalia, Mouvements Modernes, Nader Gammas, Nuova, Roham Shamekh, and a group presentation by Tanya Singer, Errol Evans, Chris Nicholson, and Trent Jansen; and within the Special Projects program are Alexis Cogul, Mathieu Lehanneur, R and Company x Haas Brothers, The Spaceless Gallery, and Basic.Space Shop.

For its debut exhibition, Boccara Gallery (New York) presents Ossip Zadkine, a French painter and sculptor widely considered as one of the geary masters of Cubist sculpture; while Dobrinka Salzman (New York) will highlight unique LED light sculptures by Christopher Baker and ceramicist, Jeremy Anderson. Adding to the focus on Brazilian design, JCRD Design (London) will spotlight minimalism within Brazilian design processes, highlighting a selection of works by Lina Bo Bardi, Giancarlo Palanti, and Brazilian contemporary designer Lucas Jimeno Dualde. Meanwhile, Nader Gammas (Dubai) presents Vessels, a work inspired by the artist’s hikes in the Blue Hills Reserve in Massachusetts. A tree form, the work draws on themes of life cycles through a series of different funguses playfully arranged in various compositions.