A mere eight days from now Design Miami/ 2023 opens its doors to the public, and we’re so excited for you to experience all that we have in store for you.

We’ve already teased a first sneak peek. Today, we’re offering a second, the last until the fair goes live, highlighting six outstanding Special Projects from this year’s program—one final amuse-bouche to whet your appetite until we welcome you to our design feast in Miami next week!

In case you haven’t heard the thrilling news, Basic.Space has acquired Design Miami! To celebrate the relationship, the LA-based curated marketplace will have a physical presence as our December fair—a striking exhibition of artist Nick Thomm’s inaugural furniture line presented alongside designs created in collaboration by South Korean designer niceworkshop and tattoo artist Dr. Woo.

While Thomm’s furniture expresses the artist’s colorful visual language in functional resin forms, niceworkshop’s minimalist aluminum designs are hand-engraved with Dr. Woo’s drawn tattoo artwork.

Nomadic contemporary gallery HAADA has invited the grand dame of performance art, Marina Abramovic, to showcase her Chairs for Human and Spirit Use. Marking a novel path in Abramovic’s legendary body of work, this seating collection is a meditation on the value of functional objects, beyond their physical dimensions, shining a light instead on their metaphysical qualities.

As the gallery explains, “The idea that physical objects might be created only to serve spiritual functions is a powerful provocation in today’s ravenous consumer society… crystallizing the contemporary debate on the twin crises of consumption and spirituality.” The chairs are sold in pairs: one large chair for human use and one petite chair for spirit use.

Aman Interiors debuts at Design Miami/ with a sensational collaboration with Kengo Kuma. Together the London-based luxury brand and the multi-award-winning Japanese architect will unveil Migumi, a new furniture collection inspired by, as the gallery explains, “the fusion of sunlight and wood that Kuma witnessed in Miami.”

The elegantly minimalist collection is handmade by expert craftsmen in Higashikawa and is intended to be seen as a daily reminder of our deep connections to our environment.

In response to reactionary book bans proliferating across the US and beyond, Design Miami/ has partnered with Anava Projects and Miami bookseller Books & Books to organize The Book of Love, a fundraiser for the Books & Books Literary Foundation and its ongoing efforts to support the right to read. Launching during fair week and continuing into the new year, this project offers a curated collection of limited-edition prints designed by creatives from around the globe and inspired by some of the most beloved yet besieged titles.

The prints available at launch have been created by Faye Toogood, Michele Oka Doner, John Maeda, Studio K.O.S., Rafael Prieto, Ronald Rael, Rive Roshan, and Rudy Weissenberg of AGO Projects. And if that weren't enough, new artworks will be added to the collection in the coming months.

With the support of Barcelona Design Centre and Disseny Hub Barcelona, Barcelona-based Il·lacions Gallery has curated a selection of local design talents, inviting them to create new works that engage contemporary notions of hospitality while also embracing Spain’s venerable craft heritage and the vibrant spirit of the Mediterranean landscape. Presenting designers include Antoni Arola, Gonzalo Guzmán, Sanna Völker, TAKK, Turbina, Jordi Ribaudí, and Josep Vila Capdevila.

The title of the exhibition has a special meaning. According to the gallery: “While the word ‘decorum’ may sound somewhat old-fashioned, we believe it is, in fact, as relevant as ever—particularly in these polarized times… It means offering the best of ourselves to each and every guest and fully embracing the responsibilities we have to one another—including, importantly, our shared commitment to caring for the earth through environmentally responsible materials and processes.”

Villa Albertine and the Mobilier National are on a joint mission to promote French design and craftsmanship in the US. For Design Miami/ 2023, the two esteemed cultural institutions will present a collection of new works from five rising stars on the French design scene: Atelier George, Atelier d'Offard, Chloé Bensahel, Gala Espel, and Dimitry Hlinka—all curated by NYC-based Alban Roger.

Straddling the line between tradition and the avant-gard, each design object is rooted in a reimagined traditional artisanal technique and embraces forms that are at once organic and futuristic.