This November, NOMAD Abu Dhabi 2025 makes its Middle Eastern debut, bringing a curated selection of collectible design and contemporary art to the iconic Terminal 1 of Zayed International Airport. From November 19th to 22nd, the decommissioned terminal will transform into an immersive design fair, featuring international galleries, special projects, and site-specific installations.
A new chapter for collectible design in Abu Dhabi
For its inaugural edition in the UAE, NOMAD reimagines Terminal 1’s modernist architecture as a platform for cultural exchange, placing collectible design at the heart of the city’s rapidly expanding art scene. The fair unites over twenty galleries presenting furniture, decorative objects, jewellery, and contemporary artworks, while also highlighting immersive experiences, curated talks, and collaborative workshops. Founder Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte notes that situating NOMAD in Abu Dhabi underscores the region’s growing significance in the global design landscape.
Special projects spotlight: craft meets innovation
Among the most anticipated presentations is Destinations by Bottega Veneta, curated by Rana Beiruti. This project celebrates fifty years of the house’s signature Intrecciato leather weave through commissions by eight designers from North Africa and the Middle East. Each designer reinterprets the iconic weave using local materials and ancestral techniques, producing sculptural works, furnishings, and leather pieces that explore tradition, place, and cultural storytelling.
Other standout projects include:
- Cohabitare by Maison Perrier-Jouët x Formafantasma (Milan) – an ecological art installation reflecting biodiversity and sustainable practice, originally conceived in the Champagne vineyards, now adapted for NOMAD Abu Dhabi.
- Tilad Collection by Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council x Ricardo Rendón (Sharjah/Mexico) – a cross-cultural exploration merging Emirati craft with Mexican artisanal techniques, blending materials like volcanic stone, pine wood, and hand-woven palm fronds.
- Turning Time into Stone by Parsa (Paris/Tehran) – monumental travertine, marble, and onyx sculptures that meditate on matter, memory, and the passage of time.
Other notable presentations include A Thousand Layers of Stomach by A.A. Murakami & TRAME, When Earth Dreamt in Gold by Iwan Maktabi x Hechizoo, and DEPARTURES powered by Etihad Airways, a large-scale installation redefining the terminal’s departure hall as a creative platform.
NOMAD Abu Dhabi 2025: a landmark fair for collectible design
As the first Middle Eastern edition of the globally itinerant NOMAD series, this design fair positions Abu Dhabi as a nexus of innovation, heritage, and international collaboration. By revitalizing Terminal 1’s architectural heritage and spotlighting both emerging and established designers, NOMAD Abu Dhabi 2025 reaffirms its mission to celebrate excellence in collectible design while fostering meaningful exchanges across art, craft, and architecture.
Explore the vision of Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, the architect-curator behind NOMAD, as he challenges traditional design fairs. Our conversation covers sustainability, cultural storytelling, and the role of architecture in shaping meaningful encounters.
Photography by N. BEREZHNOY, courtesy of NOMAD
Photography by N. BEREZHNOY, courtesy of NOMAD
Photography by N. BEREZHNOY, courtesy of NOMAD
Cohabitare
Courtesy of PERRIER-JOUËT X FORMAFANTASMA
