NOMAD makes its debut in Abu Dhabi

From 19 to 22 November 2025, the travelling fair NOMAD arrives for the first time in the Arabian Gulf with NOMAD Abu Dhabi, transforming Terminal 1 of Zayed International Airport into an extraordinary exhibition space dedicated to collectible design. The building, a modernist masterpiece designed in 1982 by the French architect Paul Andreu at the request of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is one of the icons of Gulf architecture: its geometric dome covered with iridescent mosaics and the glass façade reflecting light and proportions become the perfect setting for a project that combines heritage and experimentation.


Zayed International Airport © N. Berezhnoy

Closed in 2023 and now reactivated by NOMAD, Terminal 1 will be reinterpreted with a site-specific installation that enhances its original elements – arches, circular paths, and symbolic spatiality – transforming it into a platform for dialogue between art, design, and architecture. More than twenty-five international galleries will take part in this first Emirati edition, part of the Abu Dhabi Art cultural program, in a city that is increasingly establishing itself as a new global hub for collecting and design culture, also thanks to institutions such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Among the most anticipated names, Nilufar Gallery from Milan debuts in Abu Dhabi with a presentation of over 200 square metres, translating Nina Yashar’s curatorial language into a story of eras and materials. On display are the poetic bronze pieces by Osanna Visconti, the glass creations by Christian Pellizzari, the tactile bronze works by Allegra Hicks, the luminous sculptures by Maximilian Marchesani, and the architectural tables by Gal Gaon, alongside works by Odd Matter, StudioDanielK, Shlomo Harush, and Claude Missir.
 

Particularly interesting is the work of Etereo – a studio founded in 2017 in Dubai by Stefania Digregorio and Mirko Sala Tenna – which reinterprets the concept of solidity through compositions in charcoal and marble, together with a table from the Faraglioni Collection, made of cast bronze and poured glass, whose lines recall sea waves, giving the space a sense of fluidity. Closing the exhibition are an icon such as the Mod. 807 Distex armchair by Gio Ponti and the works of Jeorge Zalszupin, which anchor the show to the cultural continuity of modernist design. Alongside Nilufar, Formafantasma presents for Maison Perrier-Jouët the installation Cohabitare, a reflection on the relationship between art and nature, while Bottega Veneta presents Destinations, curated by Rana Beiruti, celebrating the intersection between craftsmanship and local identity. The Italian presence is completed by Mondavilli Scagliola, a Milanese atelier that reinterprets the ancient scagliola technique in a sculptural and contemporary way.

Among the special projects, stand out the collaboration between Iwan Maktabi and Orient 499, dedicated to Levantine craftsmanship; the installation Fluid Echoes by the Lebanese collective Super Loop; and the exhibition curated by the Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council of Sharjah, which reinterprets traditional Emirati techniques in a contemporary key.