Over 25 exhibitor presentations, with 9 debut exhibitors Late design icon, Gaetano Pesce, to be honored in presentations by Friedman Benda (New York/LA), Pulp Galerie (Paris), and downtown+ (Paris) Significant moments in design history celebrated with rare pieces at Ketabi Bourdet Design (Paris), Thomsen Gallery (New York), and Gallery Downtown-LAFFANOUR (Paris) Contemporary highlights explore themes of materiality and boundary pushing design, including a thoughtful Curio presentation by 193 Gallery (Paris)

May 10, 2024, Basel – DESIGN MIAMI.BASEL announces its preview highlights from the galleries presenting at the 18th edition of the fair. Returning to its iconic Swiss location at Basel’s Messeplatz, this edition will run from June 11 - 16, 2024, with Preview Day on June 10.

Design Miami CEO, Jen Roberts says: “Last year was a significant milestone in the evolution of Design Miami, and this year will only see the momentum continue. The eighteenth edition of our Basel fair follows the announcement of our global rebrand, and the inaugural Los Angeles edition. I greatly look forward to returning to our flagship location in Basel, to continue our mission at Design Miami: building and cultivating creative collaboration and a global platform for cultural exchange.”

Design Miami Senior VP of Fairs, Grela Orihuela says: “We are delighted to be returning to our Swiss home for the eighteenth edition of DESIGN MIAMI.BASEL. This year’s programming presents us with an opportunity to celebrate the best in collectible design through the eras - from design history icons to future trailblazers. We are particularly excited to share with our international community such a robust Curio program, which will see seven galleries make their debut on our global platform.”

GALLERY & CURIO HIGHLIGHTS.
For the eighteenth edition of DESIGN MIAMI.BASEL, the fair will welcome an array of rare and unique displays showcasing the best of collectible design.

Upon entering the Messeplatz, audiences will also be greeted by a collaborative gallery presentation by Friedman Benda (New York/LA), Pulp Galerie (Paris), and downtown+ (Paris), in remembrance of the late Gaetano Pesce (1939 - 2024). Within the entrance hall, guests will have a chance to view a selection of key works from the 1970s to present, honoring the legacy of the 21st century design icon whose work has featured prominently at Design Miami over the years.

Once inside the fair, audiences will be met with a rich program of gallery and curio presentations. Highlights include first-time exhibitors: Galerie Eva Presenhuber (Zurich/Vienna); MAXIME FLATRY (Paris); Objects with Narratives (Brussels); and a Curio program that will see a notable number of debut exhibitors: Craft x Tech (Tokyo); Mameluca (Lisbon); Nolwa Studio (Hyderabad); Nick Thomm (Melbourne/Los Angeles); and Pulp Galerie (Paris); with Karry Berreby (Paris) making its Basel debut.

From these engaging exhibitions, key thematic threads emerge: STORIES OF MATERIALITY.

Objects with Narratives (Brussels) will make its debut at DESIGN MIAMI.BASEL with a solo exhibition of Belgian designer and craftsman, Ben Storms, titled Liquid Solids. Storms’ experimental design practice is defined by dynamic processes that challenge the potential of materials. For Basel, Storms embraces fluidity - a concept which flows through his processes and ideas, to the resulting, transitional works produced, through to the booth scenography. A layer of water will cover the floor, conjuring the illusion of floating volumes and objects; on entering the setting, all sureness dissolves. In the designs themselves, fluidity is addressed as a captivating interaction between states and qualities. From consoles to wall pieces, coffee tables to room dividers, forms seem frozen in a process of transformation. A new series called Crushed starts with sheets of metal welded together to form a transitory shape, which is then transformed under intense pressure in a fluid, almost intuitive process. Further works in glass and Onyx also challenge states of permanence. Glass appears to be stone, then water, a liquid that has solidified. Meanwhile, Onyx alludes to the processes of aeons of seeping water and minerals, sediments that echo the currents that shaped them. Alu Casted Marble Composition Wallpiece, 2024 by Ben Storms for Objects with Narratives at DESIGN MIAMI.BASEL 2024 (Image courtesy of Alexander Popelier)

Returning to the Basel fair, Galerie Gastou (Paris) will place a spotlight on the materiality of plastic. The gallery will explore plastic materials through the design philosophies expressed by Shiro Kuramata’s quiet simplicity, and Gaetano Pesce’s Baroque extravagance. This striking juxtaposition will aim to promote the beauty of plastic, while creating a harmonious dialogue between seemingly opposing styles. Through careful curation, the exhibition will showcase the spectrum of ways plastic can be used: crafted to convey the balance of Kuramata’s minimalism, to the lavish theatricality of Pesce’s designs.

Galerie Mitterrand (Paris) will bring together iconic works by renowned designer couple, François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, in a celebration of the two sculptural visionaries. The exhibition will feature a unique Choupatte by Claude Lalanne, dating to the 1960s, alongside a set of three Oies by François-Xavier Lalanne. Le Choupatte is one of Claude Lalanne’s earliest works - it is through this work that Claude Lalanne expresses her most virtuous use of the galvanoplasty technique, whereby cabbage leaves are immersed in an electrolytic bath to obtain copper imprints.