A preview of Alcova-Miami 2024: the future of design
Alcova-Miami is the latest addition to the international design calendar. Take a look at the designers and artists participating this year and some of their spectacular creations.
Over the years, Miami has become a global hub for art and design. Each December, the city hosts Miami Art Week, attracting artists, gallerists, and art lovers worldwide. Central to this celebration is Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the most influential contemporary art fairs. Alongside it, Alcova Miami, originally a Milan-based event showcasing emerging design, returns for its second U.S. edition in 2024.
This year, Alcova will be held at the historic Miami River Inn, featuring site-specific installations and over 40 international exhibitors, including talents like Panorammma and Lucas Muñoz Muñoz.
About Miami Art Week
Miami Art Week is an annual event that transforms the city into an international hub for artists, gallerists, collectors, and art enthusiasts. Every December, the city hosts art fairs, exhibitions, and events that cement its reputation as a focal point for the contemporary art world.
At the heart of the week is Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art fairs. Complementing it are numerous satellite fairs and parallel events, including Alcova, now in its second U.S. edition.
What is Alcova?
Although this design fair is making its mark in Miami this year—following a successful debut in 2023—Alcova originated in Milan. It is one of the standout events of the renowned Milan Design Week, a key fixture on the international design calendar.
Alcova 2024 in Milan. Images courtesy of Alcova. Photography by Piergiorgio Sorgetti
Alcova serves as a platform for emerging design talent, showcasing the work of young furniture creators, new brands, as well as rising artists, designers and artisans. Each year, the fair revitalizes an abandoned building in Milan, bringing it to life with innovative designs and astounding creativity.
In December 2024, founders Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima are bringing Alcova to Miami for the second time. This year, the fair will take place at the Miami River Inn, the city’s oldest hotel.
Alcova 2024 in Milan: Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima. Images courtesy of Alcova. Photography by Piergiorgio Sorgetti
The location
The historic Miami River Inn has been selected as the venue for this edition of Alcova-Miami. Comprised of multiple pastel-colored Victorian chalets and mansions nestled in lush, tropical greenery, this unique hotel dates back to 1908.
Miami River Inn, location of Alcova-Miami 2024. Images courtesy of Alcova. Photography by Piercarlo Quecchia
The venue will host one-of-a-kind installations that engage with its historic and natural surroundings. This creates a striking juxtaposition between Miami's heritage and the innovative future of the design industry.
What to expect from Alcova Miami 2024
In 2023, Alcova Miami showcased work from almost 300 collaborators through intimate installations in the rooms of a well-known city motel. For its 2024 edition, emerging talents from around the globe will transform the historic Miami River Inn with multidisciplinary and collaborative installations.
True to Alcova’s tradition, this edition promises groundbreaking pieces and innovative designs that push the boundaries of contemporary design. Over 40 exhibitors will participate, including emerging talents like Mexican studio Panorammma with it’s multidisciplinary explorations, Athens-based studio made by ASTRONAUTS collaborating with greek brand Serapis, as well as the Italian collective Parasite 2.0 x bianco67, focusing on marble and stone reuse. New York-based conceptual designer Jirah Joshua (director de Room—file) will also present, amongst many other young creatives.
Works by Panorammma, made by Astronauts x Serapis, Jirah Joshua and Lucas Muñoz Muñoz. Images courtesy of Alcova.
Larger-scale installations will reimagine the space, such as Spanish artist and designer Lucas Muñoz Muñoz’s project, crafted from objects sourced around the city to reactivate the central square of the venue, and a pool-side intervention by AnanasAnanas, a bold food-design collective based off of Los Angeles.
Participants
The full list of participants is extensive, featuring names called to redefine the design industry:
ADAM KVAČEK / ALVARO CATALÁN DE OCÓN / ANANASANANAS / ARRIVED ALIENS / BUCKTRON / BUREAU PARSO / FURN OBJECT / G HOME / GIOPAGANI / IED ISTITUTO EUROPEO DI DESIGN / INVENTO SPIRIT / JUNTOS PROJECTS / KEVIN QUALE / KONQRIT BY CECILIA GARCIA GALOFRE / LAURA CASAÑAS MAYA / LCD TEXTILE EDITION / LEO LAGUE / LEXUS IN DESIGN (GERMANE BARNES, STUDIO KËR, CRAFTING PLASTICS! STUDIO, SUCHI REDDY, AND T SAKHI) / LUCAS MUÑOZ MUÑOZ / MADE BY ASTRONAUTS / MAKE_GOOD_ AND THE CENTER FOR SUBTROPICAL AFFAIRS / MARCO ZELLI ARCHITECT / OBJECTS OF COMMON INTEREST / PANORAMMMA / PARASITE 2.0 X BIANCO67 / PEPE VALENTI / PUGLIA CONTEMPORARY LAND / RAWORKSHOP / REST ENERGY / ROOM—FILE / SEMA TOPALOGLU / SHEYANG LI / SOMAD / SOMETHING LAST / STAMULI / STUDIO HAOS / STUDIO LOOPLOOP / STUDIO TOOJ / STUDIO VICTOR MIKLOS ANDERSEN X STUDIO VILLIAM MIKLOS ANDERSEN / THEO GALLIAKIS / TOKIO. / VINTOLA STUDIO
Works by Leo Lague and Theo Galliakis. Images courtesy of Alcova.
Conclusion
Alcova Miami 2024 will showcase emerging and groundbreaking design, featuring artistic furniture pieces and intriguing art creations. This new American edition of Alcova promises a fully immersive experience, making it a must-see for anyone in Miami —or attending this year’s Miami Art Week.
