Ten design-oriented installations from Miami art week 2025
From Es Devlin's lauded Library of Us to an installation at one of Miami's most haunted locales, here are ten projects that stood out amongst the crowded creative field of Miami art week, selected by Dezeen US editor Ben Dreith.
Ranging from the explicit design focus of collectible fair Design Miami to art gallery furniture and hotel commissions, design has a small-but-mighty presence during the annual art super-week that takes place throughout Miami and Miami Beach.
This year, design institutions took an even more hands-on role, with Italian trade fair heavyweight Salone del Mobile sponsoring and designing the Collectors Lounge at mega-fair Art Basel Miami.
The collaboration, which spokespeople for Salone del Mobile called a "marriage" between the two institutions, seems to solidify the growing inclination for the design market towards the art market.
"Our inaugural presence at Art Basel Miami Beach 2025, represents a natural and strategic evolution of the international trajectory that the Salone is tracing to expand opportunities for relations between Italian design and new global audiences with a high cultural involvement," said Salone del Mobile president Maria Porro.
Read on for 10 design-focused exhibitions from Miami art week 2025:
Installed on the beach as part of the Faena Arts program, Library of Us is an iteration of a book-forward concept first launched by British designer Es Devlin in Milan this spring.
The rotating library was informed by Devlin's own reading, and featured an LED screen with text from the books accompanied by audio and live English-Spanish translation via rentable Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
A selection of books was placed for reading on the desks that encircled the reflecting pool. Though, reportedly, the installation was later fenced off after an influencer walked into the pool while filming a video.
Find out more about Library of Us ›
The Observer Effect by Pilar Zeta
Argentinian designer and former Dezeen Awards judge Pilar Zeta scaled up her surreal column series with a massive installation on the beach, which was also the site for performances.
Departing from her past use of colour, Zeta opted for a chromatic car paint that reflected the sun for the massive series of pillars that led toward the ocean. It was, according to Zeta, informed by the observer effect in quantum physics.
Find out more about The Observer Effect ›
Neon Sun by Emmett Moore presented by Nina Johnson Gallery
Miami-based Nina Johnson Gallery presented the work of designer Emmett Moore both within Art Basel and in the sculpture garden adjacent to the fair.
The collection of furniture by Miami-based Moore sought to translate "Miami's vernacular filtered through industrial materials". The metal chairs and tables of the collection featured expanded polystyrene elements, shaped and painted to resemble corral formations.
Climate Responsive Installations by Breakfast Studio
At 1 Hotel South Beach and Tala Beach, New York-based Breakfast Studio presented one of the largest Miami installations.
The series of interactive kinetic installations responds in two different ways.
On the one hand, they are reacting by vibrations to live climate data such as water levels and ice melt, while also reacting directly to the movements of viewers in proximity to the installation, combining interactive art and design with climate awareness.
Rewilding the Future by Rivian
Car manufacturer Rivian set up a massive installation in Miami Beach's Collins Park to showcase its new colourways and present a series of explorations in scent design.
Designed by the company's in-house team, the wood-and-metal pavilion was informed by a "solar storm". It featured displays and seating, and hosted talks for Art week visitors.
Find out more about Rewilding the Future ›
American Art Furniture by Superhouse at Design Miami
New York gallery Superhouse showcased a series of playful art furniture from the 1980s and '90s, including a Batman chair by Alex Locadia.
Design Miami also featured architecture studio Arquitectonica's first dedicated furniture collection, as well as a special curated section by curator Glenn Adamson featuring a piece by Stephen Burks Man Made that used wood to recreate Kuba textiles.
Find out more about Design Miami ›
After Utopia by Marco Brambilla
Presented at The Wolfsonian–FIU building in Miami Beach's Art Deco District, After Utopia featured Brambilla's extensive research into the architecture and memorabilia of world's fairs.
The exhibition included posters and models from the fairs and concluded with massive digital works that compiled different structures over the years of the fairs to show how "dreams of the future" are now presented through technology.
The Future Perfect
Showcasing its new Miami gallery at the historical (and possibly haunted) Villa Paula, which we covered this fall, The Future Perfect showcased works by a variety of talents, including Chen Chen and Kai Williams and Lindsey Adelman.
The most striking room, somewhat ironically, was in an outbuilding from the main villa, which featured metallic walls and slime-green carpet. Here, a red cabinet by Orior was presented next to a mosaic table by D-Haene Studio and an impressive chandelier by Jason Miller.
Find out more about Future Perfect Villa Paula ›
Alcova Miami
Experimental design showcase Alcova returned to Miami for its third iteration at the Miami River Inn, with a pink-metal entry desk by Present Forms and a chequered carpet courtyard decked out by Patricia Urquiola and Haworth. Designers were asked to fill in the rooms in the houses of the historic hotel, the oldest in the city.
Stand-out exhibitions included a rubber-lined room showcasing the work of LA-based Ombia Studio, flat pack metallic furniture by Vincent Laine, lamps by Evan Fay and a collection by Marlot Baus.
Swedish furniture brand IKEA showcased its Grejsimojs children's collection through a colourful exhibition during the week.
A series of thematic installations matched the designs, which included a dog-shaped light by Marta Krupińska and chairs by Carl Ojertsam.
Miami art week took place throughout Miami and Miami Beach from 1 to 7 December. Find out more about city-wide fairs and international exhibitions at Dezeen Events Guide.
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