(Image credit: Courtesy Alserkal Avenue)

There’s a quiet but important shift happening in the global art and design world.
Design Miami, one of the most influential fairs for collectible design, is officially launching its first Middle East edition in Dubai in early 2027, in partnership with Alserkal, the team behind Alserkal Avenue. For artists, designers, galleries and collectors across Asia, this is more than just another fair. It is a new cultural bridge between Asia, the Middle East and the West.

Design Miami has signed a multi-year partnership with Alserkal. Together, they will create a new edition of Design Miami in Dubai, based at Alserkal Avenue. The fair is planned to open in early 2027 and will be the first Design Miami event in the Middle East.

Like the Miami and Paris editions, the Dubai fair will focus on high-level collectible design: furniture, objects, lighting and experimental pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries, presented by leading galleries and studios. There will also be installations, commissions and talks.

But the important difference is this: Dubai’s edition is being built with the region in mind. The partners have clearly said they want to highlight designers and galleries from the Middle East, and to grow a year-round design platform, not just a one-week event.

Why Alserkal Avenue matters

Alserkal Avenue is not a temporary venue created just for this fair. It is a long-standing cultural district in Dubai’s Al Quoz area, developed from warehouses into a dense cluster of art galleries, project spaces, studios, cafés and performance venues.

For more than 15 years, Alserkal has invested in building a serious art ecosystem: festivals, residencies, public art and support for regional artists and institutions. The organisation’s founder, Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, and its executive director, Vilma Jurkute, have often talked about growing a thoughtful, context-rooted cultural scene, not just a commercial one.

Dubai is perfectly placed between East and West. For many in South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia, it is a shorter flight and a more familiar stop than European or American fairs. A Design Miami platform here means easier access to a global-level market and audience.

For galleries in Asia, especially those already active in design or with strong object-based practices, Dubai can become a new hub to connect with collectors from the Middle East, Europe and the US in one place. It also aligns well with existing Dubai events like Art Dubai, creating a richer art-and-design week that visitors from across Asia can plan around.

Art Basel is preparing its first Middle East edition in Doha, and Abu Dhabi Art is set to become Frieze Abu Dhabi in 2026. Now, with Design Miami committing to Dubai, the region is building a serious cluster of globally recognised fairs.

For Asia, that means there will be more reasons to engage regularly with the Gulf—not only for sales, but also for collaborations, residencies, commissions and institutional partnerships. Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi are quickly becoming important stops in the annual calendar, alongside cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo.

The most important part of the partnership is that it begins now, not only in 2027. Design Miami and Alserkal have spoken about a year-round programme of events leading up to the fair: exhibitions, talks, commissions and smaller activations around design.

A new bridge, not just a new fair

In simple terms, Design Miami’s move to Dubai creates a new bridge for Asia. It brings a globally respected design fair closer to home, anchors it in a district with real cultural depth, and opens up fresh pathways between Asian creators, Middle Eastern institutions and international collectors. If this project stays true to its promises—context, quality and long-term commitment—it could become one of the most important platforms for design coming out of Asia and the wider region.

For now, the message to artists, designers, galleries and collectors across Asia is clear: Dubai in 2027 should already be on your mental map. The story has started; the question is how you want to be part of it.