Dubai Design Week Unveils Five Innovative Commissions for Abwab 2026, Exploring Communication Through Art

Dubai Design Week has announced five new commissions for its Abwab programme in 2026, featuring a striking seven-metre installation of red light and a structure inspired by the intricate coding systems of Kashmiri weavers. Abwab, an Arabic word for 'doors', is dedicated to commissioning new works from artists and practitioners across Asia and Africa. This year's selected artists and practices include Dalia Rafeh, Grace Shieh, Kanaka Raghavan, Ubik, and the architecture and research practice Varussi, all working under the overarching theme 'In Other Words'.

The exhibition is scheduled to take place from November 3 to 8 at Dubai Design District as part of the festival's 12th edition. In a significant shift from previous years, which featured individual pavilions, Abwab will present this year's commissions as a cohesive indoor group exhibition. Since its establishment in 2015, Abwab has provided a platform for over 180 designers.

The commissioned works delve into the multifaceted nature of communication, utilizing mediums such as lettering, textiles, paper, and architecture. They examine how meaning is conveyed through the materials and forms encountered by the public.

Dalia Rafeh's installation, titled 'Shhhhhhhh', uses the Arabic letter sheen – ش – and its association with silence as its conceptual foundation. The piece is manifested as a seven-metre installation employing red light, drawing parallels with the visual language of public and commercial signage. Rafeh's work probes the varied interpretations of the call for quiet, suggesting it can signify an order to be silent, an invitation for reflection, or an encouragement to listen.

Dubai-based architecture and research practice Varussi, founded by Owais Asif Khan and Samreen Junaid Wani, presents 'Taleem'. This installation is rooted in the traditional coding methods employed in the design of Kashmiri carpets and kani shawls. Varussi aims to translate this ancient system into an architectural structure that visitors can physically enter, thereby exploring the transmission of craft knowledge across generations.

Kanaka Raghavan, a designer, educator, and researcher based in Dubai, focuses on the construction of written language in her work 'Cheent Devanagari'. Challenging the conventional emphasis on Latin typography as a universal design starting point, Raghavan draws inspiration from the structural and material traditions of Devanagari script. Through block printing, ornamentation, and layered translucent textiles, she creates letterforms that dynamically separate and reassemble as viewers move, allowing for an examination of script construction.

Grace Shieh, a writer and visual artist, investigates the tactile qualities of paper in 'A Library of Paper Memories'. This installation merges papermaking, poetry, and experimental writing, exploring how fibres, textures, and forms can imbue meaning and memories alongside written text.

India-based conceptual artist Vivek Premachandran, operating under the moniker Ubik, examines language interpretation in 'Non/Sense'. This floor-based installation is inspired by science-fiction author Philip K Dick's 'How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later'. Ubik utilizes translation, mistranslation, abbreviation, and 'lorem ipsum'—a standard placeholder text in graphic design—to transform text fragments into patterns and spatial structures.

The exhibition layout is designed to facilitate visitor interaction, allowing movement around, between, and through the commissioned artworks, with opportunities for aerial viewing. Entry to the exhibition is free. Additionally, three curator-led walkthroughs, featuring Alexie Glass-Kantor, Caoimhe CJ Reynolds, and the participating practitioners, will offer insights into the research, materials, and creative processes behind the exhibited works.