Over 400 rare design masterpieces will be on display at Design Days Dubai, a first of its kind fair in the Middle East and South Asia region dedicated to collectible and limited-edition design, starting today.

The event will bring together collectors, makers and lovers of design from around the world, and on display will be 22 leading design galleries from countries such as Korea, Brazil, South Africa, US, Europe and the Middle East, said a statement.

The pieces on show will be collectible and limited-edition furniture and objects of exceptional quality, ranging from prototypes to 20th-century classics. The works range from $655 to $393,000, the statement said.

Design Days Dubai aims to boost design as a collectible art form, and convey the investment value of high-quality design works.

Aiming to become an important cultural forum for this emerging region, it will also exhibit work by a new generation of designers from universities in the UAE, Qatar and Switzerland.

In addition, a large interactive design area will host seminars, workshops and performances, it said.

Among the leading names presenting events for both the public and professionals are patrons of Design Days Dubai, such as Nada Debs, the Beirut-based furniture designer; and Li Edelkoort, one of the world’s most influential curators, educators and trend forecasters.

Korean artist Kwang Ho Lee, and renowned Dutch design studio, Drift, are among those presenting live design performances, while several emerging Arab designers will conduct talks and workshops.

Cyril Zammit, fair director, Design Days Dubai, said: “At the inaugural edition of Design Days Dubai, we aim to spark the curiousity of our visitors and support emerging designers through a rich programme that covers the fundamentals of this visual art, with mentoring and the transmission of on-the-job skills from leading names in the business. The fair will be a catalyst for this region’s contemporary design scene.”

Design Days Dubai will go on till March 21 at a specially designed venue by the base of Burj Khalifa in Downtown Dubai.

It is organised in partnership with Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), The Address Hotels + Resorts, and with the support of design patrons Audi and Van Cleef & Arpels. 

Timed to overlap with the opening of Art Dubai, the region’s leading contemporary art fair,

Design Days Dubai is an integral part of Art Week.

Tickets are priced at Dh50 ($13.61) per person and free for students upon presentation of ID cards. – TradeArabia News Service