The third, final, and largest presentation of the year for the organization, Design Miami is bringing things back to where it all began after successful expansions into Los Angeles and Paris this year and last, respectively.
December in the design world is off to a roaring start with this week’s sunny, yet surprisingly chilly, celebration of Design Miami’s 20th edition. The energy around the anniversary is palpable as a healthy mix of newcomers and gallery stalwarts present their wares under the mustard yellow tent in Miami’s Pride Park. Curated by Glenn Adamson, the Miami Beach fair has gathered 45 collectible design galleries and curios, alongside a number of special projects and collaborations, around the visionary theme of “Blue Sky.” A celebration of design for its fundamentally innovative, optimistic, and connective qualities, the theme charged exhibitors to color their offerings with blue-sky thinking. “Design is inherently a speculative venture, and also a collective one – a shared framework of reference at a time of global interconnection,” says Adamson. “The same sky is above us all.”
In all, the curation has achieved its ambition, delivering a presentation that feels altogether cohesive, supportive, and conceptually rigorous. Now until December 8th, Design Miami assembles a diverse and talented group of international creatives to present a vibrant snapshot of the expansiveness of design as it exists today. Here are a few of the moments that are not to be missed.
“Design is inherently a speculative venture, and also a collective one – a shared framework of reference at a time of global interconnection,” said Glenn Adamson.
Gallery Sally Dan Cuthbert Brings Australian Design to the Magic City
As the first Australian gallery to present at Design Miami, Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert challenged its roster of intergenerational designers to create works informed by their unique Australian vernacular. The presentation comprises works from Rive Roshan, David Tate, Bonhula Yunupingu, Damien Wright, Marion Borgelt, Kyoko Hashimoto and Guy Keulemans, Olive Gill-Hille, and Charles Trevelyan that draw from Australia’s diverse landscapes, flora, and fauna, fostering a dialogue on climate change and cultural storytelling. Highlights include a plywood chest covered entirely in emu eggs and feathers from Perth-based designer, David Tate. Tate drew inspiration from his hometown of Eganu in the Pinjarrega Nature Reserve, a world-renowned emu breeding ground. In reference to Australia’s vast horizons, the mesmerizing sapphire Radiance Panel from Rive Roshan uses undulating transitions of deep blue to speak to the refraction of light as it passes from the sky through the water and fades towards the ocean floor.
