This November, NOMAD is staging its most ambitious edition yet, marking its Middle East debut by transforming the historic Terminal 1 of Zayed International Airport into a site-specific showcase for collectible design, contemporary art, and jewellery. Running until 22 November, the itinerant fair, renowned for its bespoke activations in architectural icons from Capri to St. Moritz, launched its global season in Abu Dhabi, signalling a new chapter for both the fair and the region’s cultural landscape.
The choice of venue is pivotal. Designed in 1982 by French architect Paul Andreu, Terminal 1 remains one of the Gulf’s most distinctive modernist structures, its tent-like roof clad in shimmering mosaic tiles and its sweeping glass façade symbolising the UAE’s progressive, outward-looking vision. Retired from service in 2023, the building will be reanimated by NOMAD through installations that preserve and reinterpret its circular lounges, arched walkways, and spatial rhythm, turning a former transit hub into a contemplative environment for design and cultural dialogue.
The debut arrives at a moment when Abu Dhabi is rapidly asserting itself as a global cultural crossroads. With the Saadiyat Cultural District, home to Louvre Abu Dhabi and the upcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the city is shaping a dynamic ecosystem where heritage and innovation intersect. Strategically timed alongside Abu Dhabi Art and located just an hour from Dubai’s thriving design scene, NOMAD positions itself as a new gateway for galleries seeking long-term engagement with the region’s expanding art economy.
Across its programme, NOMAD Abu Dhabi brings together leading international galleries such as Nilufar, Gallery FUMI, Galerie BSL, Don Tanani, Gem Alf, and LeLAB, alongside major art presentations including Chihuly: Four Decades of Iconic Works from Leila Heller Gallery. Exhibitions span collectible furniture, sculptural objects, historical design, and modern masters, creating a layered conversation between global and regional practices.
A constellation of special projects deepens this dialogue. Highlights include Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council’s collaboration with Ricardo Rendón, blending Emirati Talli and Safeefah with Mexican materials; A.A. Murakami and TRAME’s generative textile installation A Thousand Layers of Stomach; Parsa’s monumental stone works; and Iwan Maktabi’s immersive woven-metal environment by Hechizoo. Bottega Veneta presents Destinations, a commission marking the 50th anniversary of its Intrecciato weave, while Maison Perrier-Jouët brings Formafantasma’s ecological installation Cohabitare.
DEPARTURES, a large-scale exhibition powered by Etihad Airways, activates the former Etihad Hub with works from regional and international artists, including a special AI-driven commission by Orkhan Mammadov.
Beyond the airport, NOMAD’s off-site programme at Jumeirah Saadiyat Island, Shifting Terrains, traces the evolving design language of the UAE through material-driven works by Datecrete, KAMEH, and others.
Presented in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and supported by Abu Dhabi Airports, NOMAD’s 2025 edition is both a cultural intervention and a reverent architectural activation. By entering Terminal 1’s storied halls, the fair not only honours an Emirati landmark but also underscores the region’s growing influence on global design discourse, where tradition, innovation, and a new sense of place converge.
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