Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Founder of Alserkal, with Jesse Lee, Chairman of Design Miami and Founder and CEO of Basic.Space.
Photo: Mohamed Somji / SeeingThings Photography
Aerial View: Alserkal Avenue, courtesy of Alserkal

● Alserkal and Design Miami announce a new multi-year partnership, bringing Design Miami to the Middle East
● Anchored in Dubai, with plans to expand across the wider Middle East
● The collaboration will launch in early 2027 through a platform dedicated to collectible design, featuring a flagship event and year-round programming
● The partnership is committed to showcasing collectible design from the region and creating opportunities on the global stage

3 December 2025 – Alserkal, a Dubai-rooted cultural enterprise with a global presence, and Design Miami, the leading international forum for collectible design, have announced a landmark partnership that will bring Design Miami to the Middle East. The collaboration will introduce a jointly developed regional platform for collectible design, featuring a flagship event alongside a dynamic year-round programme, launching in early 2027 in Dubai.

The partnership with Design Miami reflects Alserkal’s continued commitment to pioneering socially responsible and forward-looking cultural initiatives in the region and beyond. Building on Design Miami’s 20-year legacy of convening the world’s leading galleries, collectors and practitioners, Alserkal will help shape a platform informed by perspectives from the UAE and the wider Middle East. With a shared commitment to thoughtful, context-driven curation, the alliance will unite a like-minded community of designers, collectors and leading creative voices. Together, Alserkal and Design Miami aim to create a platform for global exchange, firmly positioning Dubai as an international destination for collectible design. The initiative will also feature a wide range of year-round activities, including learning opportunities and community dialogue.

Rooted in the shared values of community-building and nurturing visionary designers and creative pioneers, the partnership brings together two organisations that have each played a defining role in shaping design and cultural expression locally and globally over the past two decades. Since transforming a former industrial site in 2007, Alserkal has developed one of the region’s most vibrant cultural districts, providing a trusted home for artists, designers, entrepreneurs and cultural practitioners. Known for championing experimentation, new perspectives and unconventional thinking, Alserkal has fostered a creative ecosystem that continues to influence cultural life in Dubai and across the UAE.

Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Founder of Alserkal, said:

“Alserkal’s partnership with the Design Miami brand is of global significance. By triangulating Dubai with Design Miami’s platforms in Miami and Paris, we have created a powerful network driven by our shared values. From today onwards, we are united in a single, forward-looking design vision.”

Vilma Jurkute, Executive Director of Alserkal, commented:

“Partnering with Design Miami to launch this Middle Eastern debut is a natural trajectory not only for us as institutions, but for the cultural landscape we are part of. Over the past 15 years, Alserkal has played an instrumental role in developing MENA’s arts ecosystem and its audiences, and we see design as the next chapter of that growth. Our layered approach enables us to challenge conventions through the diversity of forums and narratives we co-present. This collaboration brings together two entities with globally established credibility to create and shape Design Miami in Dubai, within the context of our city and region.”

Jen Roberts, CEO of Design Miami, added:

“Alserkal has played a pivotal role in building and shaping an international creative district in Dubai. Through this partnership, we see a valuable opportunity to exemplify our shared values and our belief that design is a global language. Together, we can create a meaningful platform that celebrates the region’s cultural heritage while highlighting its spirit of innovation—connecting the global networks of collectors and designers we have built over the years.”

Jesse Lee, Chairman of Design Miami, said:

“This partnership marks a key moment for both of our brands, combining Design Miami’s two decades of expertise in shaping the collectible design market with Alserkal’s pivotal role in shaping Dubai’s cultural landscape. Together, we will introduce a distinct and compelling design offering to the region.”

Further details will be announced over the coming weeks and months.

About Alserkal

Alserkal is a cultural enterprise rooted in Dubai and active globally, shaping contemporary culture and advancing the creative economy across the MENASA region and beyond. Founded in 2007 by Emirati business leader and cultural patron Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, the organisation began with the transformation of a former industrial site into Alserkal Avenue, now one of the region’s leading destinations for contemporary art and community engagement. Through its three pillars—the Arts Foundation, Advisory (strategic consultancy), and Cultural Districts—Alserkal champions alternative thinking and experimentation, fostering collaboration and new cultural narratives that drive long-term civic and cultural impact.
http://www.alserkal.online

@alserkalofficial

About Design Miami

Design Miami provides a global platform for exceptional collectible design through activations that bring together an international network of galleries, designers, brands, experts, collectors and enthusiasts. Each Design Miami fair presents museum-quality 20th and 21st century furniture, lighting and objets d’art from the world’s top, rigorously vetted galleries, alongside immersive design collaborations with renowned global brands. Founded in 2005, Design Miami’s flagship Miami Beach fair takes place annually each December. In recent years, the brand has expanded its global design forum to include localised event formats, such as its Paris fair hosted in a site-specific architectural setting each October and Design Miami.In Situ, created to deliver regional experiences that celebrate and cultivate local design communities.