EXPO CHICAGO, the international exposition of contemporary and modern art, today announced the lineup of citywide partner exhibitions, openings, screenings, and programs taking place during EXPO ART WEEK (April 10–16, 2023) and aligned with the tenth anniversary edition of the fair. Spanning museums, galleries, historic facades, hotels, and unused commercial spaces across Chicago with the exposition as its centerpiece (April 13 – 16), EXPO ART WEEK will once again galvanize the City of Chicago’s rich cultural ecosystem in citywide events and celebrations. EXPO ART WEEK is presented in conjunction with Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism and marketing organization and Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).
“Chicago is a city of diverse creative collaborators. We are proud to work alongside an incredible range of artists, curators, galleries and civic leaders to highlight a wide array of citywide art exhibitions and events which showcase Chicago as a leading international city for artistic talent, innovation, and rich cultural dialogue," said Tony Karman, President | Director, EXPO CHICAGO. "This year's EXPO ART WEEK alignments feature content which extends far beyond EXPO CHICAGO at Navy Pier to highlight the extraordinary cultural institutions and creative hubs throughout our great city.”
Major EXPO ART WEEK Alignments include:
BOIL, TOIL + TROUBLE
- April 12 – 23
- Opening Wednesday, April 12
- Press Preview: 5:30 - 7 p.m.
- 400 N. Peoria St.
Curator Zoe Lukov and cultural producer Abby Pucker, co-founders of the nonprofit creative enterprise Art in Common, present the newest iteration of the large-scale group exhibition, Boil, Toil + Trouble. Inhabiting a 15,000-square-foot unused commercial space in Chicago’s Fulton Market District, the exhibition features work by over 50 contemporary artists in a multigenerational grouping that examines water through the lens of magic, ritual, and the role of the ‘witch’, or medium, in contemporary art. Free to the public, the traveling exhibition evolves to address water-related issues in each city it inhabits through new site-specific commissions and community-based programming. The exhibition pairs new commissions and recent work by Chicago-based artists including Erol Scott Harris, Armani Howard, Isabella Mellado, Ricardo Partida, and Nereida Patricia in conversation with rarely exhibited works by world renowned artists Marina Abramović, Radcliffe Bailey, Niki de Saint Phalle, David Hammons, Maya Lin, Ana Mendieta, Bruce Nauman and many more.
RSVP required to artincommon@resnicow.com. For more information, please visit artincommon.art. .
SKIN + MASKS
- On view through April 15, 2023
- 535 N Michigan Ave | Tuesday – Friday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
SKIN + MASKS, curated by Vic Mensa and Chanelle Lacy, deploys a seminal text by Antilles-born author Frantz Fanon as a foundation for a group art exhibition aimed at decolonizing art beyond the politics of visibility. In his 1952 book “Black Skin, White Masks,” Fanon presented a psychoanalytical tour-de-force, exposing how colonization weaponized skin as an agent of alienation, imposing an existential divide on people. SKIN + MASKS features work by a range of Chicago-based contemporary artists who, like Fanon, are striving to understand and express the meaning of identity not from the vantage point of White gaze, but from the perspective of individual realities. Acclaimed, established, and emerging artists featured in the show include AFRICOBRA Co-founder Gerald Williams, Nikko Washington, Mia Lee, Thelonious Stokes, Lola Ayisha Ogbara and more.
For more information, please visit www.kavigupta.com.
NEO CHICAGO - FROM THE COLLECTION OF BETH RUDIN DEWOODY
- April 13 – Early June 2023
- The Peninsula Chicago | 108 E Superior St | Open Morning through Evening
Neo Chicago is a contemporary art exhibition presented by The Peninsula Chicago, curated by Laura Dvorkin and Maynard Monrow. This exhibition is the second installment of the collaboration between The Peninsula Chicago and the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, which also coincides with the tenth annual edition of EXPO CHICAGO. This show celebrates Chicago galleries, their passion in showing world-renowned artists, and DeWoody’s support of these cultural spaces over the past 20 years.
For more information, please visit www.peninsula.com.
ART on THE MART - DERRICK ADAMS
- April 14
- Projections: 8:30 – 10 p.m.
- On view nightly April 14 – July 5, 2023 along Chicago's Riverwalk
ART on THE MART, in partnership with Rhona Hoffman Gallery, presents the premiere of a new commission by internationally acclaimed artist Derrick Adams titled Funtime Unicorn: Ruby Rides Through Four Seasons, viewable on Friday, April 14 at 8:30 p.m. This site-specific work builds on Adams’ Funtime Unicorn project celebrating Black joy, love and play, which will also be on display at Navy Pier’s Polk Bros Park as part of the exposition’s IN/SITU Outside program. Projections are best enjoyed along the Chicago Riverwalk between Wells and Franklin Streets.
For more information, please visit www.artonthemart.com.
OFF-SPRING: NEW GENERATIONS
- February 20, 2023 – January 31, 2024
- 21c Museum Hotel Chicago
Rituals—religious and cultural, institutional and domestic—provide the thematic infrastructure for OFF-SPRING: New Generations. These sculptures, paintings, photographs, and videos employ iconographic imagery to explore the development of both personal and group identity, childhood, family, history, and gender politics. Presenting 100 multi-media artworks by 60 artists from across the globe , the exhibition highlights how ritual shapes identity, community, and institutions. At the wedding altar, in the family home, or in the classroom, within the fantasy of childhood play or the familiarity of grown-up habit, these transformations of iconic imagery offer a spectrum of meditations on the contemporary construction of self and society, generating a new power, the power of potential and change. Featured artists include Gehard Demetz, Angela Ellsworth, Lalla Essaydi, Anthony Goicolea, Rachel Lee Hovnanian, Li Hongbo, Ragnar Kjartansson, Kelly Kristin Jones, Deana Lawson, Hans Op de Beeck, Chiaru Shiota, Vee Speers, Carrie Mae Weems, and others.
For more information, please visit www.21cmuseumhotels.com.
GIO SWABY: FRESH UP
- April 8 – July 3, 2023
- The Art Institute of Chicago
Gio Swaby (Claire Oliver Gallery) is a multidisciplinary artist whose textile-based practice explores the intersections of Blackness and womanhood. Her embroidered portraits are anchored in the connections she forges with her subjects: each portrait begins with a photo shoot during which her sitters are captured in a moment of self-awareness and empowerment. In her textile interpretations, Swaby foregrounds their hair, clothing, and jewelry—highlighting and celebrating the subjects’ use of fashion as unapologetic self-definition and self-expression.
For more information, please visit www.artic.edu.
BARELY FAIR
- Vernissage | April 14 | 6 – 10 p.m.
- April 15, 22, 23 | 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- April 18–21 | 1 – 6 p.m.
- Color Club | 4146 N Elston Ave
BARELY FAIR is an international art fair operated by Julius Caesar, an artist-run project space established in Chicago in 2008. The invitational fair presents a tiny peek inside the programming of 36 contemporary art galleries, project spaces, and curatorial projects during EXPO ART WEEK in Chicago. Featured spaces will exhibit works in 1:12 scale booths built to mimic the design of a standard art fair. BARELY FAIR will open with a vernissage on April 14, will continue a run of daily hours through the weekend, and then re-open the following Tuesday through Sunday before closing on April 23. For more information, please visit www.barelyfair.com.
For a full list of additional EXPO ART WEEK exhibitions and events including dates, times and locations, visit www.expochicago.com/expo-art-week. An interactive map featuring all EXPO ART WEEK aligned activations can be found here.
EXPO ART WEEK SCREENINGS
Gene Siskel Film Center | 164 N State St
The Gene Siskel Film Center partners with EXPO CHICAGO in celebration of the fair’s tenth anniversary edition this April 13–16 at Navy Pier and throughout the city. The films presented in this collaboration profile contemporary artists, illustrating how their identities and lived experiences are inextricably linked to their work and their perspectives on the art world. Screenings include:
YOU CAN GO NOW
- April 12 | 5:30 p.m.
- April 15 | 7 p.m.
YOU CAN GO NOW examines the extraordinary life and art of contemporary First Nations artist, Richard Bell. A self-proclaimed “activist masquerading as an artist,” Bell’s work speaks to the parallel story of the struggle for First Nations rights in Australia and civil rights movements around the world. From his childhood in a tin shack in rural Queensland to the lofty halls of the Tate Modern, Bell’s success is against all the odds, and his bold, unflinching work continues to challenge the institutions of colonization in Australia while simultaneously asserting the rights and sovereignty of First Nations people. At a time when Australia is contemplating voice, truth and treaty, Bell’s ideas cannot be ignored. Sneak peek screening. Artist Richard Bell in attendance on Saturday, April 15, 7 p.m. for a post-screening Q&A with Cay Sophie Rabinowitz (OSMOS). Presented in collaboration and with support by OSMOS and EXPO CHICAGO.
2022, dir. Larissa Behrendt. Australia, 82 min. In English / Format: Digital
ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED
- April 15 | 4:30 p.m.
Winner of the coveted Best Film Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival – and back at the Gene Siskel Film Center for an encore after an exclusive run in December 2022 – Director Laura Poitras (CITIZENFOUR) delivers an epic, emotional and interconnected portrait of renowned artist Nan Goldin and her fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the opioid crisis. Told through Goldin’s ground-breaking photography and slideshows (including “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency,” part of the Art Institute of Chicago’s permanent collection), alongside intimate interviews and rare footage of her fearless demonstrations at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, and the Louvre, Goldin’s past and present are interwoven into a remarkable, holistic document of Golden as an artist, activist, sister, daughter, lover and friend.
2022, dir. Laura Poitras. USA, 117 min. In English / Format: Digital
THE MELT GOES ON FOREVER: THE ART & TIMES OF DAVID HAMMONS
- April 16 | 1 p.m.
The singular, category-defying work of prolific artist David Hammons is explored in this rich and striking portrait. Born in Springfield, Illinois, Hammons grew to international acclaim and earned accolades for his inventive and genre-defying work with found objects—basketball hoops, hair trimmings off a barbershop floor, and snowballs, which he used to craft an essential, striking commentary on race in America. Always a rule-breaker, Hammons is chronicled in THE MELT GOES ON FOREVER through archival footage and animation, and with interviews featuring artists, curators and critics who recount the work of an artist who constantly defies the establishment and remains subversive at every turn.
2022, dirs. Harold Crooks, Judd Tully. USA, Canada, 101 min. In English / Format: Digital
EXPO ART WEEK Museum Exhibitions and Institutional Highlights:
The Arts Club of Chicago | Jessi Reaves: All possessive lusts dispelled
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago | Duane Linklater: mymothersside, Enter the Mirror, Interiors, Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora, 1990s–Today
Museum of Contemporary Photography | Shift: Music, Meaning, Context
Mana Contemporary | Jonas Mekas, Open Archives presented by Monira Foundation, Mind Map | Logan Kruidenier, Open House
DePaul Art Museum | Art for the Future: Artists Call and Central American Solidarities
Graham Foundation | Katherine Simóne Reynolds: A different kind of tender and the practice of overhealing
Wrightwood 659 | Kongkee: Warring States Cyberpunk, Shahidul Alam: Singed But Not Burnt, Patric McCoy: Take My Picture
National Museum of Mexican Art | Los huecos del agua - Recent Indigenous Art from Mexico
National Hellenic Museum | Gather Together: Chicago Street Photography by Diane Alexander White, Resilience by HRH Prince Nikolaos
South Side Openings & Events - April 11, 2023
Join us for the official kick-off to EXPO ART WEEK on Tuesday, April 11 with an evening of openings, exhibitions and performances on Chicago’s vibrant South Side. Guests are encouraged to explore the many galleries, museums, and exhibition spaces in this dynamic community of arts and culture.
The Study at the University of Chicago | 1227 E 60th St
A Toast to the South Side | Reception: 5 – 6:30 p.m.; Remarks: 5:45 p.m
South Side Community Art Center | 3831 S Michigan Ave
"where the light corrupts your face..." | Extended Gallery Hours: 4 – 7 p.m.
The DuSable Black History Museum & Education Center | 740 E 56th Pl
Diaspora Stories: Selections From The CCH Pounder Collection | Extended Gallery Hours + Walkthroughs: 4 – 9 p.m.
The OI | 1155 E 58th St
Artifacts Also Die | Extended Gallery Hours: 4 – 7 p.m.
Blanc | 4445 S Martin Luther King Dr
A leap has no return | Extended Gallery Hours: 5 – 8 p.m.
The Renaissance Society | 5811 S Ellis Ave
Aria Dean: Abattoir, U.S.A! | Curatorial Walkthrough: 6:15 p.m.; Extended Gallery Hours: 6 – 8 p.m.
The Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society
The Chicago Cli-Fi Library | Extended Gallery Hours: 5 – 9 p.m.
Hyde Park Art Center | 5020 S Cornell Ave
SURVIVING THE LONG WARS: Unlikely Entanglements | Curatorial Tour + Artist Talk: 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Arts + Public Life | 301 E Garfield Blvd
The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born | Opening Reception: 6 – 9 p.m.
Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago | 5550 S Greenwood Avenue
Calling on the Past | Opening Reception: 6 p.m.; Remarks + Curatorial Walkthrough: 6:30 p.m.; Extended gallery hours: 5 – 9 p.m.; Performances + Gallery Talks: 7 - 9 p.m.
Art After Hours – Chicago Gallery Openings
A highlight of EXPO ART WEEK, Art After Hours is a citywide gallery night inviting EXPO CHICAGO visitors and the Chicago community to experience the city's vibrant art scene during extended hours on Friday, April 14, from 6 to 9 p.m.
EXPO CHICAGO 2023 Galleries Participating in Art After Hours include:
65GRAND – Japeth Mennes: Waltz
AMFM – Lola Ayisha Ogbara: HILARITIES & UNREST: A Black Sonic Experience at Epiphany Center for the Arts
ANDREW RAFACZ – Jessie Edelman and Julia Bland
Anthony Gallery – En Iwamura: Blue on the Hill
Chicago Artists Coalition – Newcity’s Breakout Artists–Twentieth Anniversary Edition ExhibitionDOCUMENT – Meg Lipke: Moon Tempo
ENGAGE Projects – Adam Daley Wilson: THIS IS TEXT BASED ART
Hindman Auctions – Spring Fine Art at Hindman
Kavi Gupta – Allana Clark and Esmaa Mohamoud
moniquemeloche – Maia Cruz Palileo
Volume Gallery – Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: I DO
Western Exhibitions – Richard Hull
For a full list of Art After Hours participating galleries, visit expochicago.com/expo-art-week.
Additional EXPO CHICAGO Featured Alignments include:
Kenny Schachter: Chicago is, was, will be… | April 13 – June 30, 2023
- April 14 | Opening Reception: 6 – 8 p.m.; Artist Talk: 6 p.m.
- 150 Media Stream | 150 N Riverside Plaza
- RSVP for the reception here.
A Song for Frankie: A Daylong “House” Party | April 15 | 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Stony Island Arts Bank | 6760 Stony Island Avenue
Travel and Hotel Information
For discounted airfare and hotel accommodations, travel arrangements can be made through Turon Travel, an agency dedicated to creating an expedient and fully accessible travel network for the global arts community. Guests may stay at any of EXPO CHICAGO’s partner hotels including The Peninsula Chicago, Ambassador Chicago, Loews Chicago, Chicago Athletic Association, citizenM Chicago, 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, W Chicago Lakeshore and Sable at Navy Pier.
About EXPO CHICAGO
EXPO CHICAGO, The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art features leading international galleries alongside a leading platform for contemporary art and cultural programming. Hosted within historic Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, EXPO CHICAGO presents a diverse and inventive program, including /Dialogues (presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago) and Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting, unrivaled talks programs for both public and VIP audiences; IN/SITU, dynamic on-site installations highlighting large-scale sculpture, film, and site-specific work; and major public art initiatives, including IN/SITU Outside, public art installed throughout Chicago Park District locations, and OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project, a curated selection of international artists throughout the city’s digital billboard network. The EXPO CHICAGO program also features an unprecedented commitment to host curatorial initiatives during the exposition, including the Curatorial Forum in partnership with Independent Curators International (ICI), and the Curatorial Exchange, which partners with foreign agencies and consulates to expand the exposition’s global reach EXPO CHICAGO is presented by Art Expositions, LLC. Under the leadership of President and Director Tony Karman, EXPO CHICAGO draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while highlighting the region’s contemporary arts community and inspiring its collector base. For more information on EXPO CHICAGO, visit expochicago.com.