Dubai Design Week commissions five new works for Abwab 2026
The programme runs November 3-8 at Dubai Design District, bringing together practitioners from Asia and Africa under the theme In Other Words.
Dubai Design Week has announced five new commissions for its Abwab programme, running November 3 to 8 at Dubai Design District. The commissions, selected under the theme In Other Words, will be presented together indoors for the first time, departing from the separate pavilion format used in earlier editions. The five practitioners are Dalia Rafeh, Grace Shieh, Kanaka Raghavan, Ubik and architecture and research practice Varussi.
Five commissions exploring communication and form#
Dalia Rafeh's Shhhhhhhh uses the Arabic letter sheen in a seven-metre installation featuring red light, drawing on the visual language of public and commercial signage. Dubai-based practice Varussi, founded by Owais Asif Khan and Samreen Junaid Wani, presents Taleem, an architectural structure based on the traditional coding system used to design Kashmiri carpets and kani shawls. Kanaka Raghavan's Cheent Devanagari uses block printing and translucent textiles to create letterforms that change as visitors move around them, drawing on Devanagari's structural traditions rather than Latin typography.
Paper, translation and spatial structures#
Grace Shieh's A Library of Paper Memories combines papermaking, poetry and experimental writing to examine how fibres, textures and forms carry memories and meaning. India-based artist Vivek Premachandran, working as Ubik, presents Non/Sense, a floor-based installation using translation, mistranslation and placeholder text to turn text fragments into patterns and spatial structures. The exhibition layout permits movement around and between the installations, with viewing positions available at ground level and from above.
Abwab programme background and access#
Abwab, the Arabic word for doors, supports practitioners from Asia and Africa through new commissions. Established in 2015, the programme has supported more than 180 designers. The exhibition forms part of Dubai Design Week's 12th edition. Entry is free. The commissions examine how meaning travels through material choices, letterforms, textiles, paper and built structures.
Programme scope and participant details#
The five commissions were announced on October 22, 2026. Kanaka Raghavan is a Dubai-based designer, educator and researcher. Varussi is a Dubai-based architecture and research practice. Dalia Rafeh and Grace Shieh are a visual artist and writer respectively. Ubik is the working name of India-based conceptual artist Vivek Premachandran. The exhibition runs for six days from November 3 to November 8 at Dubai Design District.
Sources2 sources across 2 domains
- thenationalnews.comThe NationalFive new commissions announced for Abwab 2026, running November 3-8 at Dubai Design District
- constructionweekonline.comConstruction Week OnlineDubai Design Week's 12th edition runs November 3-8 at Dubai Design District
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