Arab Design Now Volume 2
Overview
Arab Design Now 2026 offers an in-depth overview of contemporary design across the Arab World and its diasporas, while giving a deeper insight into the contexts and thought processes that shape design, placing equal emphasis on both outcome and process. It is a reflection and exploration of design against the backdrop of geography, urbanism, technology, and political change. The publication showcases design excellence and innovation from across the Arab world, presented alongside the conceptual development, production methods, and environments that inform each work.
By highlighting designers alongside artisans and other makers, the publication uncovers the interconnected networks of material intelligence embedded within each practice. Through this dual focus on process and product, Arab Design Now 2026 foregrounds the forces driving contemporary design in the region, reinforcing Design Doha’s role as a platform for critical inquiry, dialogue, and exchange.
About the Authors
Noura Al Sayeh
Noura Al Sayeh is an architect and curator based in Bahrain. She has built a number of temporary and permanent architectural installations and was the co-curator of Reclaim, Bahrain's first participation at the 12th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010 and the deputy commissioner general of Heatwave Bahrain’s pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, both awarded a Golden Lion for best national participation. . Since 2015, she heads the Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy UNESCO World Heritage project, which received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture as part of the Muharraq Revitalization project in 2019. She is the curator of the upcoming 2026 Design Doha Biennale.
Ahmad Makia
Ahmad Makia is a geographer, author and editor. His work spans the fields of spatial studies and human geography, gender and identity, Arab and Islamic history and material philosophy. He is founder and creative director of HYPERHOUSE, a boutique pub- lisher and editorial practice; Head of Publications at Sharjah Art Foundation, a contemporary arts organisation; and Architecture and Design Editor at Kaph Books. He has published essays in ac- ademic journals, magazines, artist books, zines and online. Makia was also founding editor and contributor to the publishing projects THE STATE, ZIGG and Dubailand.
Ala Younes
Ala Younis is an artist, curator, and publisher exploring contested modernities in the Arab world. She exhibited globally, including at Venice and other major biennales. Younis co-founded Kayfa ta publishing, co-directed Singapore Biennale 2022, and co-led Berlinale's Forum Expanded. She holds degrees in architecture and visual cultures, currently pursuing a doctorate at Oxford.
Rahel Aima
Rahel Aima is a writer, editor and critic based in Dubai, where she co-directs the Bayt Al Mamzar writing residency. She is currently working on a collection of essays about the Khaleeji Ideology, terroir, and where oil meets water in the Gulf.
Rana Beiruti
Rana Beiruti is a curator and the founder/ director of platform, a curatorial collective and consultancy focused on research and learning programs in design, art, and architecture. She is also the co-founder and director of Amman Design Week. Her work lies at the intersection of knowledge production, cultural engagement, and community development.
Meitha Almazrooei
Meitha Almazrooei is a Ph.D. in History, Theory, and Criticism of Islamic Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her curatorial and editorial work encompassed public programming for Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, publications for The National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates, and the establishment of WTD Magazine. Her most recent editorial work includes co-editing two anthologies: On Foraging: Food Knowledge and Environmental Imaginaries in the UAE's Landscape and In Plain Sight: Scenes from Aridly Abundant Landscapes.
Technical Details
- Publication Date:
- Thursday, November 5, 2026
- Language:
- English & Arabic
- Format:
- Paperback
- Dimensions:
- 16 x 22 cm
- Weight:
- 1kg
- ISBN:
- 978-614-8065-11-8
- Number of Pages:
- 360
- Publisher:
- Kaph Books
- Categories:
- Design
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