Design Miami returns for the 17th edition December 1-5, 2021
The 17th edition of Design Miami will be held from December 1-5, 2021 and it will explore the theme of how design can impact the world for the better. The 2021 edition of Design Miami will take place in Pride Park and host over 35 galleries’ exhibitions in the Curio section in addition to a series of collaborations. Moreover, Design Miami 2021 will be presented in a hybrid physical and digital format. All the exhibits on show will be available for purchase at designmiami.com for a limited time; during the same period, the portal will host a robust online program of design talks and 3D virtual tours.
Wava Carpenter, new curatorial director of Design Miami, explains that, in this historical moment, the trend of design collectors oscillates between the fantastic and the primordial. “Perhaps as an escape from the realities of the world as it is now, designers and collectors are drawn to truly extraordinary forms that evoke another time and place. This larger trend finds two expressions: the fantastical and the primordial. The former aesthetic is exuberant, vibrant, surreal, as if created for a fairy tale or science fiction story, often inflected with a tongue-in-cheek wink. The second expression has a minimalist yet striking aura that calls to mind relics of the ancient past, prehistory and beyond time.”
Read also DesignMiami/Basel 2021
Vintage and contemporary design
In addition to the 35 specific curatorial projects, Design Miami will host galleries specializing in collectible design, both vintage and contemporary. Masterpieces from icons of the 20th century include works by Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand, George Nakashima, Harry Bertoia, Joaquim Tenreiro, and Verner Panton, while contemporary highlights are found in works by Daniel Arsham, Katie Stout, the Haas Brothers, and more.
Moderne Gallery presents a strong selection of rare mid-century design, with a focus on Studio Craft Movement pieces. A particular highlight is George Nakashima’s first furniture design: the Karuizawa chair (1935), made for St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Karuizawa, Japan.
At Friedman Benda, the gallery will present works by artist and creative director Samuel Ross, celebrating the launch of the gallery’s partnership with the British designer. Ross has designed a space, caught between construction and deconstruction, hosting three intersecting series: Signal, Rupture and Amorphous Strand.
Design Miami 2021/Curio
Curio is an exhibition platform that invites designers, architects, curators, innovators and gallerists to present total environments of objects, textures, artifacts and ideas. After the debut in 2017, House of Today returns to Miami with a solo exhibition of work by Lebanese designer Khaled El-Mays. This new series of work has been made in collaboration with craftspeople in Mexico City and is entitled New Nature. The five-piece series features two mirrors, a bar, bench and the designer’s first ever chair, made from leather, wood, raffia, and wicker. Khaled El-Mays has also made objects in ceramic, which is a new material for the designer, in collaboration with master company Anfora.
Also returning to Miami is Harry Nuriev with his sixth Curio presentation. The Bedroom is a silver bedroom installation that will feature a Ryokan-style mattress, underscoring the value of the bedroom as a space to escape reality.
Material of the Moment: Ceramics
Ceramic works are an ideal medium for storytelling, and ceramics artists work with clay in new ways to share perspectives on and insights into who they are, where they came from, and where they want to see the world go. This has resulted in a thriving market for ceramics, and this year’s fair presents a strong representation of both contemporary and historical ceramics.
