CHICAGO—EXPO CHICAGO, the international exposition of contemporary and modern art, concluded its ninth edition on Sunday, April 10, with strong attendance of international collectors and curators alongside 30,000 visitors, exceptional presentations from exhibiting galleries and strong sales, in what was its most global edition to date. On opening day alone, the exposition welcomed more than 8,000 VIP guests while raising $260,000 to benefit the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago during the fair’s Vernissage. Collectors, curators, artists and art professionals enjoyed an exclusive first look at over 140 leading galleries from 25 countries and 65 cities throughout Navy Pier’s iconic Festival Hall. EXPO CHICAGO will return to Navy Pier’s Festival Hall on April 13 - 16, 2023.
“We are thrilled with the enthusiastic return of EXPO CHICAGO as we once again welcomed a global network of art dealers, curators, museum directors, collectors, artists, and arts enthusiasts to our great city,” said Tony Karman, President | Director. “The city galvanized to provide a vibrant, robust week of activities in support of local and visiting patrons and I am deeply proud that our success proved the importance of this marketplace and re-established our place on the international art world calendar in this April time slot.”
The ninth edition marked considerable institutional representation, with museum curators, trustees and patrons from worldwide cultural organizations including Arizona State University Art Museum, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Brookline Arts Center, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, California African American Museum, Carnegie Mellon Museum of Art, Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Chazen Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Contemporary Art Center Cincinnati, Counterpublic Triennial 2023, Dia Art Foundation, The Dennos Museum Center, Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, DePaul Art Museum, The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Frist Art Museum, FRONT International Triennial, Goethe-Institut Chicago, Grand Rapids Art Museum, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Honolulu Museum of Art, Hyde Park Art Center, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Joyce Foundation, KADIST, Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Lowe Art Museum University of Miami, MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Newark Museum of Art, Obama Presidential Center Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Pitzer College Art Galleries, Poetry Foundation, Portland Art Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum, San Jose Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, Smart Museum of Art, Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College, Terra Foundation for American Art, The Toledo Museum of Art, Institute of Contemporary Art at UTC, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Walker Art Center, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, and more.
Notable curators, patrons and museum directors in attendance included Rachel Adams (Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts), Hoor Al Qasimi (President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation), Laura Allred Hurtado (Utah Museum of Contemporary Art), Amara Antilla (CAC Cincinnati), Rehema Barber (Kalamazoo Institute of Arts), Marcella Beccaria (Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea), Louise Bernard (Obama Presidential Center Museum), Fred Bidwell, Chance the Rapper, Bob Clark, Joanne Cohen, Jill Deupi (Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami), Erin Dziedzic (Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art), Ciara Ennis (Pitzer College Art Galleries), Brian J. Ferriso (Portland Art Museum), Dana Friis-Hansen (Grand Rapids Art Museum), Miki Garcia (Arizona State University Art Museum), Bill Gautreaux, Amy Gilman (Chazen Museum of Art), Allison Glenn (Counterpublic Triennial 2023), Marcela Guerrero (Whitney Museum of American Art), Jack & Sandra Guthman, Craig Hadley (The Dennos Museum Center), Lauren Hinkson (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum), Henriette Huldisch (Walker Art Center), Anne Kaplan, Simon Kelly (Saint Louis Art Museum), Min-Jung Kim (Saint Louis Art Museum), Nora Khan (2023 Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement), Koyo Kouoh (Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa), Sara Krajewski (Portland Art Museum), Tricia Laughlin Bloom (Newark Museum of Art), Liz Lefkofsky, Adam Levine (Toledo Museum of Art), Arthur Lewis and Tony Parker (UTA), Alec & Jen Litowitz, Catharina Manchanda (Seattle Art Museum), Charles Moore, Humberto Moro (Dia Art Foundation), Heather Nickels (Memphis Brooks Museum of Art), Benedicta M Badia Nordenstahl, Halona Norton-Westbrook (Honolulu Museum of Art), Jessica O'Hearn (Brookline Arts Center), Christine Olsen (University of Michigan Museum of Art), María Elena Ortiz (Pérez Art Museum Miami), Liz Park (Carnegie Mellon Museum of Art), Penny Pritzker & Bryan Traubert, Rachel Reese (Institute of Contemporary Art at UTC), Julie Rodrigues Widholm (Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive), Schwanda Rountree, Mark Scala (Frist Art Museum), Lauren Schell Dickens (San Jose Museum of Art), Cameron Shaw (California African American Museum), Franklin Sirmans (Pérez Art Museum Miami), Jill Snyder (Museum Consultant), Emily Stamey (Weatherspoon Art Museum), Jordan Stein (KADIST), Belinda Tate (Kalamazoo Institute of Art), Henry Thaggart, Jodi Throckmorton (PAFA), Allen Turner, Christina Vassallo (The Fabric Workshop and Museum), Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown, Helen Zell, and Julián Zugazagoitia (Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art).
Featuring one of the most rigorous and challenging platforms for contemporary art and culture, under the leadership of EXPO CHICAGO Director of Programming Kate Sierzputowski, dynamic citywide programming engaged visitors throughout EXPO CHICAGO, highlights including the /Dialogues panel discussions between abstract painter Mary Lovelace O’Neal and MCA Chicago Manilow Senior Curator Jamillah James, and founding and key members of AFRICOBRA in conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist, presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; curator Marcella Beccaria’s immersive IN/SITU exhibition, Rare Earths, transforming Navy Pier’s Festival Hall; EXPO CHICAGO and the City of Chicago’s citywide outdoor installations IN/SITU OUTSIDE and OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project presented in partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) which for the first time expanded to include City Information Panels "CIPs" in the Central Business District from April 4 - 17, 2022; the engagement of over 95 curators and museum directors through EXPO CHICAGO programs including the Curatorial Forum, presented in partnership with Independent Curators International (ICI); the expansion of the Curatorial Exchange program; and the groundbreaking inaugural edition of the Directors Summit, which brought together a diverse range of emerging museum leaders from across the country to discuss the shifting dynamics and the future of museum leadership today.
EXPO CHICAGO welcomed several new galleries in 2022 as well as numerous returning galleries, all of whom drew critical praise for their ambitious presentations. Exhibitors both new and returning noted that they received strong support from both nationally and internationally renowned collectors, museum curators and institutions, along with the greater Midwest collector base.
Exhibitor quotes:
“We were delighted to present a solo booth of new works on paper by Jason Moran at EXPO CHICAGO this year. It’s been a very successful fair for us; we sold ten works on the opening days of the fair and we were especially pleased to place examples of Moran’s work with great local collections. Lauren Wittels, a partner at the gallery, has just moved to Chicago, and she is excited to continue to represent the gallery’s program in the region, and further connect with local collectors and institutions.” - Julia Speed | Director, Luhring Augustine
"We’re happy to be back in Chicago, a city that marries collecting so fluidly with its support for significant institutions. We’ve been delighted to participate in the fair with strong sales across our primary programme including Sahara Longe, Honor Titus, Eduardo Terrazas, Gabriel de la Mora, Philip Guston, Alex Katz and Daniel Crews Chubb." - Chloe Waddington | Partner, Timothy Taylor
“We were so happy to be a part of the fair this year. EXPO CHICAGO always hosts such thoughtful collectors and curators, and this edition was no exception. We placed major works by Summer Wheat, Daniel Gibson, and Cammie Staros on opening day, with several pieces going to local Chicago collections. Thanks to the fair’s curatorial programs, we had meaningful conversations with Chicago-based curators and those traveling for the fair, and we were able to present a significant sculpture by Naama Tsabar in the fair’s IN/SITU program.” – Seth Curcio | Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles
“We are thrilled to be back at EXPO CHICAGO for our second year since being based in Chicago. We had an incredible turnout and reception to our booth, which highlighted Chicago-based artist Carmen Neely who is newly represented by the gallery as of last week.” - Mariane Ibrahim | Founder, Mariane Ibrahim Gallery
"This year's EXPO CHICAGO was a long-awaited and much-needed reunion of galleries, collectors, artists and curators and was a boost to the entire city of Chicago. The public programming was the strongest ever and contributed to the overall success of the fair." - Valerie Carberry |Partner, Richard Gray Gallery
"Our return to EXPO CHICAGO this year has been met with significant curatorial and collector engagement that advances our long-standing relationship with the fair. Being a member of this year's selection committee granted us the opportunity to interface with ambitious arts leaders from Chicago and the Midwest in an incredible way." — Jessica Silverman | Owner, Jessica Silverman
“It has been exciting to return to EXPO CHICAGO. The fair was a great success with robust sales to enthusiastic new and existing clients from the region and beyond.” — Frederik Schampers | Nara Roesler’s New York Director
“We’re overjoyed with the return of EXPO CHICAGO and the opportunity to welcome people back to our dynamic city. Not only is it invigorating to engage with the art world at the fair but also to present four new major solo exhibitions, including Devan Shimoyama and Alisa Sikelianos Carter at Kavi Gupta | Elizabeth St., and Beverly Fishman and Arghavan Khosravi in our newly expanded Kavi Gupta | Washington Blvd. galleries, which represent the manifestation of our long standing vision of a dynamic and diverse locus for art and community.” — Kavi Gupta | Owner & Director, Kavi Gupta Gallery
“We are particularly excited by the placement of Ebony G. Patterson, when the land is in plumage… in a prominent institutional collection, with strong additional sales for Jake Troyli, Antonius Bui, Arvie Smith, Maia Cruz Palileo, Cheryl Pope, David Shrobe, Sheree Hovsepian, among others.” — Monique Meloche | Founder/Owner, Monique Meloche Gallery
“Luis De Jesus Los Angeles was thrilled to return to the warm Chicago crowd. It was good to reunite with everyone and opening day resulted in placing newly represented artist Vian Sora with an important New York collection, as well as the sale of three Evita Tezeno collage paintings, two going to a top 200 collector. And at the end of the day, we learned that June Edmonds was awarded a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship Award, which was a great way to start the fair.” — Luis De Jesus | Principal & Director, Luis De Jesus
“This is our first year at EXPO CHICAGO and like many galleries we have been cautious post-pandemic on which fairs to participate in. We have been happy with the quality of collectors and curators and look forward to continuing to promote our Latinx, Latin American, and Texas-based artists in Chicago and the Midwest next year.” - Patti Ruiz-Healy | Director, Ruiz-Healy Art
“Daata is pleased to have participated in EXPO CHICAGO again for the 2022 edition of the fair, both with our presentation of Rosie Gibbens’ newest body of work in her U.S. debut, and by collaborating with EXPO CHICAGO to present digital works for the first time in the fair’s IN/SITU program. EXPO CHICAGO creates the perfect opportunity for Daata to fulfill its mission of supporting artists exploring a range of mediums and technologies that bridge art IRL and online and to introduce these artists to broad new audiences,” said David Gryn, Director and Founder of Daata. “Rosie’s installation, The New Me, demonstrates the full breadth of how we work with artists to create a full spectrum of work spanning multiple mediums, including videos, NFTs, AR works, merchandise, and a publication.” — David Gryn | Director and Founder of Daata
“We had a terrific show with brisk sales and museum interest in the works of Malcolm Mobutu Smith, an important artist and educator whose ceramic works have not been exhibited to a broad audience before EXPO CHICAGO. We also sold an important piece from Tim Rollins and K.O.S. as well as multiple sets of prints from the newly formed Studio K.O.S. This year's visitors were both knowledgeable and curious. It was a pleasure to engage and discuss the works of Mobutu Smith and Studio K.O.S. with them. —Lewis Wexler | Owner, Wexler Gallery
"It’s been great to return to EXPO CHICAGO. We made strong sales to numerous good collectors, not only from the Midwest, but from all over the United States. In particular, we launched and sold out a major new suite of works by Julian Opie as well as multiple works by Josef Albers, Michael Craig-Martin, Ian Davenport and Idris Khan." - David Cleaton-Roberts | Senior Director, Cristea Roberts Gallery
“We have had a fantastic response to Chris Akordaliti's work and sold out our booth in the first four hours. The best news is that four of his works were placed in two Museum collections. We’re really grateful, happy, and tired.” - Marina Vranopoulou|Founder & Director, Dio Horia Art Gallery
“We had a productive week between the gallery and our booth at the fair, and are satisfied with the amount of interest, press, and sales that we generated." - Sibylle Friche | Director, DOCUMENT Gallery
"EXPO CHICAGO has been great for us, we had quite a few conversations where people were following the artists online and it was the first opportunity to see the work in person. We made some major sales and started new dialogues with curators in Chicago and the Midwest region so it has been very productive." - Michael Gillespie | Founder & Director, Foxy Production
“We had very strong interest in artist Ivana de Vivanco, whose works sold and found important collectors in new countries. EXPO CHICAGO has once again provided a wonderful opportunity to exchange visual experiences and thoughtful conversations along with many driven collectors." - Alfred Kornfeld | Founder, Galerie Kornfeld
"I am very happy to be back participating in EXPO CHICAGO, and very pleased that the fair delivers quality, excitement, professionalism that makes our job more accomplished." - Diana Lowenstein | Founder/Owner, Diana Lowenstein Gallery
"The excitement of all the exhibitors is palpable. EXPO CHICAGO is back, and we're really happy to be a part of it." Marjorie Van Cura| Associate Director, Forum Gallery, Inc.
"It was our first show at EXPO CHICAGO as our gallery is expanding its presence in fairs in the United States after New York and Miami and I have been impressed by the response and the quality of the interlocutors I met throughout the week. We have been able to meet very interesting collectors and strengthen ties with institutions and curators and are going back to Istanbul with multiple acquisitions made during this week. We are looking forward to coming back next year to continue the conversation with the [art] community of Chicago." - Suela J.Cennet | Founder - Executive Director, The Pill
"EXPO CHICAGO has pulled in a knowledgeable crowd over the last several days, opening doors to scholarly conversations as well as rigorous sales. We have placed several works into new collections including a significant painting by Louise Fishman, a sculpture by MacArthur Fellow Joyce J. Scott, and several works by emerging artist Charles Mason III." - Amy Eva Raehse | Executive Director & Partner, Goya Contemporary
“EXPO CHICAGO 2022 has been a fantastic fair, not only in terms of great sales, but also because it allowed us to reconnect with local friends and clients after over two years. Our gallery views art as a social activity, and we always prefer to enjoy works with admirers and collectors directly rather than through a machine. We thank the attendees and organizers for this energizing experience, and can’t wait to come back next year.” - Ramón Cernuda | Director, Cernuda Arte
"We have been impressed with the in-depth conversations and interactions we have had with curators, artists, museum directors, and audiences from all over the world. This was an invaluable platform for our artists to create work - literally on the spot - while discussing difficult topics of sustainability, with such a widely diverse and receptive audience. We have loved talking with and creating art with so many people about what each of us can do - individually and collectively - to mitigate climate change." - Tricia Van Eck | Founder & Artistic Director, 6018 North
“The solo presentation of the late Margaret Wharton was well-received among this group of distinguished artists and dealers. We were delighted to present her work." - Jean Albano |Founder, Jean Albano Gallery
“As always, Tony Karman and team have delivered one of the most exciting and seamlessly run International art fairs in the business.” - Michael Heller | Director/Owner, Richard Heller Gallery
“We are thrilled with our experience at EXPO CHICAGO, the environment and team at the Navy Pier, and our presentation at the booth. We had early sales, and several important visits by curators and top collectors, all who have expressed interest in works on view.” — Diane Rosenstein | Founder & Principal Director, Diane Rosenstein Gallery
“Chicago is the perfect host. Nothing can substitute the in-person experience.” - Rene Schmitt | Founder/Owner, Rene Schmitt
“Chicago was great this year. The curatorial forum program helped us connect and reconnect with many wonderful curators from across the country, and sales were good. We met new collectors from the midwest that we are excited to work with, and our presentation of two historical NY-based artists John Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres was warmly received. Good things always happen for us in Chicago, we’re looking forward to next year!” - Charlie James | Founder/Owner, Charlie James Gallery
“This is the first time Ben Miller’s work has been seen outside of Montana - we are so pleased to present his work to a national and international audience.” - Gary Snyder | Founder, Gary Snyder Fine Art
Northern Trust
As part of this year’s prize expansion, Northern Trust, Presenting Sponsor of EXPO
CHICAGO, has awarded the Northern Trust Purchase Prize to three institutions in the East, West, and Midwest United States, and previously had only gifted work to one institution. As recipients, a representative from each institution has selected pieces from the fair’s EXPOSURE Section, which features galleries ten years and younger, curated by Humberto Moro, Deputy Director of Program at Dia Art Foundation. Northern Trust will purchase the annual gifts of artworks for the institutions’ permanent collections.
Pérez Art Museum will acquire a painting by Reginald Sylvester II from MAXIMILLIAN WILLIAM GALLERY, the Portland Art Museum will acquire three paintings by Nohemi Perez from Instituto de Visión, and the Walker Art Center will acquire three works by Adler Guerrier from Marisa Newman Projects.
"EXPOSURE is a section of EXPO CHICAGO which functions as a thermometer of artistic practices happening around the world with and within young galleries. With a strong focus on art from Latin America, the 2022 section brings to the fore important issues of our time such as labor, technology, social justice, identity politics, environmental concerns, among many others. Northern Trust has been championing young artists and galleries through their yearly purchase prize, which propels artists’ careers and allows for their work to become part of important institutional collections." — Humberto Moro | EXPOSURE curator & Deputy Director of Program at Dia Art Foundation
“We are thrilled to support these three artists at the start of their careers. These pieces are a great reflection of how important art is to the human experience. We are so pleased that these pieces will have a wider viewing at museums across the country.” — John Fumagelli | President, Central Region Northern Trust Wealth Management
“We are so happy to see Nohemi’s practice being recognized with this acquisition prize, especially to know that her work will be part of the permanent collection of the Portland Art Museum. We also want to thank Northern Trust for making this acquisition possible, prizes like this play an integral role in supporting the work of both artists and galleries.” — Omayra Alvarado-Jensen | Executive Director, Instituto de Visión
“We applied to EXPO CHICAGO with the aim and focus of presenting artworks including Adler Guerrier’s in this context of a fair with great connections to institutions and curatorial programs. Walker Art Center's acquisition of Adler Guerrier’s work is incredible and reaffirms our program goals. We are grateful to the fair, The Walker, and Northern Trust.” — Marisa Newman | Founder & Director. Marisa Newman Projects
"We are extremely pleased to have this painting accessioned into such an important museum thanks to the Northern Trust and EXPO CHICAGO." — Maximilian William | Founder & Director, MAXIMILLIAN WILLIAM GALLERY
Directors Summit
EXPO CHICAGO successfully mounted its inaugural Directors Summit, which brought together a diverse group of museum leaders from across the country for a three-day program addressing the shifting dynamics of museum leadership today. Shaped in partnership with museum consultant Jill Snyder, the Directors Summit centered on two public roundtable discussions that examined how to forge an equitable and sustainable movement forward for art museums and institutions. The Directors Summit included a rousing keynote lecture by Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, recently appointed chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) at University Club of Chicago. The Directors Summit was supported by Sotheby’s, in addition to the Thoma Foundation, Terra Foundation for American Art, and University Club of Chicago.
Participating museum directors were Louise Bernard (Obama Presidential Center Museum), Miki Garcia (Arizona State University Art Museum), Amy Gilman (Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison), Adam Levine (Toledo Museum of Art), Halona Norton-Westbrook (Honolulu Museum of Art), Julie Rodrigues Widholm (Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, University of California Berkeley), Cameron Shaw, (California African American Museum), and Christina Vassallo (The Fabric Workshop and Museum).
“What a thrill to launch the inaugural Directors Summit at EXPO CHICAGO,” said museum consultant Jill Snyder. “Building upon the successful Curatorial Forum, this assembly of emerging museum leadership deepens EXPO’s commitment to sharing ideas and fostering community among museum professionals. The eight exceptional museum directors that gathered are emblematic of an invigorated leadership, possessing equal measures of humility and curiosity, conviction and vision. Their initiatives lay new foundations for a more equitable future. The keynote by the newly appointed NEA Chair, Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, one of her first public addresses, was a clarion call to the museum field and reflective of EXPO’s national prominence. I look forward to extending this program in the years ahead.”
Curatorial Forum
Drawing curatorial leaders nationwide to the exposition, EXPO CHICAGO once again hosted the Curatorial Forum in partnership with Independent Curators International (ICI), welcoming more than 40 mid-career and established curators for the sixth year. The annual Curatorial Forum gathered a cohort of leading curators, working independently or with an institutional affiliation, providing the opportunity to engage with their peers and explore significant issues relating to curating, programming, institution-building and audience engagement. The forum included a series of closed door sessions and was kicked off with a keynote presentation by Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. Participating institutions included:
Curatorial Forum Institutions:
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Brookline Arts Center, CAC Cincinnati, Counterpublic Triennial 2023, Carnegie Mellon Museum of Art, The Dennos Museum Center, DePaul Art Museum, Frist Art Museum, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, KADIST, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Museum of Contemporary Art, Newark Museum of Art, Pitzer College Art Galleries, Saint Louis Art Museum, San Jose Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, Ulrich Museum of Art, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Institute of Contemporary Art at UTC, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Walker Art Center, Whitney Museum of American Art, and The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town.
"This was a very successful week, and a celebration of contemporary art and Chicago,” said Renaud Proch, Executive & Artistic Director, Independent Curators International. “Independent Curators International (ICI)'s ongoing collaboration with EXPO CHICAGO on the Curatorial Forum took on a particularly meaningful dimension this year, as we brought together and for the first time in two and a half years, more than 40 curators from 20 states across the country. The keynote lecture by Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, South Africa, set the tone for the Forum, by reasserting the curator's role in the task of cultural rebuilding ahead of us. This year's convening inspired us all, and it will undoubtedly encourage new collaborations and continued exchange among the participating curators."
The Forum concluded with an Assembly, bringing all participants together to further address the ideas exchanged throughout the program and to foster regional professional networks and collaborations across the U.S. American cultural landscape. This year, the program was supported by Presenting Sponsors the Joyce Foundation and 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, in addition to the Smart Family Foundation, the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, UAP | Urban Art Projects, Gallagher, and Terry Dowd, Inc.
Curatorial Exchange
The third annual EXPO CHICAGO Curatorial Exchange is a leading international initiative developed in partnership with foreign consulates and cultural agencies. The Curatorial Exchange offered 16 select mid-career and established curators based around the world the opportunity to engage closely with their peers, convening as part of a four-day program that included a closed door presentation and discussion with Grace Deveney, the David C. and Sarajean Ruttenberg Associate Curator of Photography and Media at the Art Institute of Chicago, a guided tour and breakfast at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum for Theodora Allen’s exhibition Saturnine, and access to further exhibitions, artist studios, museums and institutions during EXPO CHICAGO.
In 2022, the Curatorial Exchange brought curators from Canada (supported by the Consulate General of Canada in Chicago), Denmark (supported by the Danish Arts Foundation), Finland (supported by Frame Contemporary Art Finland, the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York and the Consulate General of Finland in New York), France (supported by Villa Albertine and the Consulate General of France in Chicago), Germany (supported by Goethe-Institut Chicago), Italy (supported by Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Chicago) and The Netherlands (supported by Dutch Culture USA and the Consulate General of The Netherlands in New York).
Curatorial Exchange Curators
Nella Aarne, Independent Curator, Co-Director of Obsidian Coast, and Curator-in-Residency with the FCINY & Residency Unlimited; Mistura Allison, Independent Curator; Jeanette Bisschops, Independent Curator; Bernardo Follini, Assistant Curator at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo; Tarah Hogue, Curator of Indigenous Art at Remai Modern; Saara Karhunen, Curator at HAM Helsinki Art Museum; Imara Limon, Curator at Amsterdam Museum; Henriette Noermark, Independent Curator; Denise Ryner, Director and Curator at Or Gallery; Leanne Sacramone, Senior Curator at Fondation Cartier; Annina Sirén, Curator at Turku Art Museum; Jennifer Smailes, Research Associate for Cultural Diversity at Kunsthalle Bremen; Sara Staunsager, Curator for TRAPHOLT; Elina Suoyrjö, Director of Programs at FCINY; Eliisa Suvanto, Program Manager PUBLICS; and Terhi Tuomi, Curator for Amos Rex.
Support of the 2022 Curatorial Exchange was provided by 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, Consulate General of Canada in Chicago, Danish Arts Foundation,, Frame Contemporary Art Finland, The Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, The Consulate General of Finland in New York, Villa Albertine, Consulate General of France in Chicago, Goethe-Institut Chicago, Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Chicago, and Consulate General of The Netherlands in New York.
For more information on all participating curators, click here.
2022 Programming
/Dialogues
The robust programming at EXPO CHICAGO allowed visitors the opportunity to extend discussion and discourse beyond the booths of the fair. /Dialogues, presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, once again offered free to the public panel discussions, conversations and provocative artistic discourse between today’s most respected arts professionals, including a historic gathering of founding and key members of AFRICOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists) including Gerald Williams (SAIC 1966-67, Artist), Jae Jarrell (SAIC 1959-61, Artist), Wadsworth Jarrell (SAIC 1958, Artist), and Sherman Beck in conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist.
Additional panels included a conversation between abstract painter Mary Lovelace O’Neal and MCA Chicago Manilow Senior Curator Jamillah James, a bilingual conversation with 2022 EXPOSURE curator Humberto Moro (Deputy Director of Program at the Dia Art Foundation) with artists Radamés "Juni" Figueroa and Nohemí Pérez from his curated section of the fair; a panel discussing visual practices in poetry with Poetry Foundation with Krista Franklin (SAIC Lecturer) and Alyssa Moore; a discussion of the rise of NFTs and their new place within the art world with Kenny Schachter, Erick Calderon, and Lesley Silverman; and talks with some of the world’s leading artists, including Derrick Adams, Dawoud Bey, Devan Shimoyama, Gio Swaby and more. For more information on 2022 /Dialogues programming, click here.
Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting
Located on the Exchange Stage by Northern Trust, Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting featured exclusive panels open to invited VIP guests. Highlights of the 2022 program included a conversation between Schwanda Rountree, (Art Collector and Art Advisor), Vesela Sretenović (The Phillips Collection), and Henry Thaggart (Collector and Arts Patron), facilitated by artist Ada Pinkston on collecting with conscience and a panel featuring Sandy Lee (Financial Analyst CAIA, CFP; Treasurer, Joan Mitchell Foundation) and Lesley Silverman (UTA), facilitated by Erika R. Knierim (Nomic Consulting) on the future of collecting NFTs, both presented in partnership with Art World Learning; a conversation moderated by Victoria Burns (APAA) with leading voices that address women artists and the market; a conversation and book signing with Charles Moore on the occasion of the recent publication of his book The Brilliance of the Color Black; a conversation with Michael Darling (Museum Exchange), Sara Krajewski (Portland Art Museum), and Miki Garcia (Arizona State University Art Museum) on the collecting practices of institutions, and a panel on the next era of arts funding featuring Christopher J. Alfieri (Prospect New Orleans; Christovich & Kearney, LLP), Whitney Hardy (3RDSPACE, Hardy Beverages), and Abby Pucker (Gertie), moderated by Melissa Cowley Wolf (MCW Projects, Arts Funders Forum) in collaboration with Arts Funders Forum.
IN/SITU
Curated by Marcella Beccaria (Chief Curator and Curator of Collections at Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea), the 2022 IN/SITU program featured large-scale sculpture, video, film, and site-specific works installed throughout Festival Hall. IN/SITU featured the work of Raphaël Barontini (Mariane Ibrahim), Guglielmo Castelli (Galerie Rolando Anselmi), Heather Dewey-Hagborg (Fridman Gallery), Liz Larner (Galerie Max Hetzler), Bertina Lopes (Richard Saltoun Gallery), Cildo Meireles (Almeida & Dale), John Preus (Rena Bransten Gallery), Nancy Rubins (Rhona Hoffman Gallery), Edra Soto (Luis de Jesus Los Angeles), Stan VanDerBeek (DOCUMENT), and Sarah Zapata (Deli Gallery). The 2022 edition of IN/SITU was also the first to feature a section completely dedicated to digital works, featuring artists aaajiao, Keiken, Keiken + George Jasper Stone in collaboration with Daata, and Heather Dewey-Hagborg (Fridman Gallery).
IN/SITU Outside, in partnership with the Chicago Park District and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events featured two works by Nancy Rubins (Rhona Hoffman Gallery) from her Diversifolia series. The works will be on display for an extended period of time along Chicago’s lakefront, beginning summer of 2022. For more information on the 2022 IN/SITU program, click here.
OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project, organized in collaboration with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), partnered once again with EXPO CHICAGO to further extend its reach throughout the city by placing the work of artists from local, national and international galleries exhibiting at EXPO CHICAGO alongside unrepresented Chicago-based artists throughout more than 60 digital billboards that make up Chicago’s City Digital Network and City Information Panels "CIPs" in the Central Business District. Participating artists included Barnaby Barford (David Gill Gallery), Sanford Biggers (moniquemeloche), Brandon Breaux, Jasmine Clarke, Laura Kina, Caroline Liu, Kameelah Janan Rasheed (NOME), Leonard Suryajaya, Gerald Williams (Kavi Gupta), and Karl Wirsum (Corbett vs. Dempsey). The citywide public art initiative launched April 4 and is on view through April 17. For a complete listing of all OVERRIDE artists and documentation, click here.
24 Special Exhibitions were included in this year’s exposition highlighting EXPO CHICAGO’s mission to illustrate and preserve the important link between the arts, philanthropic and nonprofit organizations through booth presentations by top museums, universities, organizations and institutions around the world. For a complete list of participants and projects, click here.
For more programming, please visit expochicago.com.
Sponsors
In addition to Presenting Sponsor Northern Trust, premier sponsors included TPC Art Finance, AXA XL, Heritage Auctions, Hindman, LALIQUE, Liberty Mutual, Risk Strategies, Ruinart, Sotheby’s and Yvel. Additional sponsors included Chartwell Insurance Services, The Conservation Center, Arthur J. Gallagher International, The Peninsula Chicago and Terry Dowd, Inc. Additional EXPO CHICAGO beverage sponsors included Belvedere Vodka, Two Brothers Brewing, La Crema, Hennessy, Perrier and White Claw.
The official Hotel Sponsor was The Peninsula Hotel Chicago. Hotel partners included 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, Chicago Athletic Association, Aloft Chicago Mag Mile, The Ambassador, Loews Chicago and Sable at Navy Pier Chicago.
Media sponsors included ARTnews, The Baer Faxt, CULTURED, MOUSSE, Newcity, Ocula, OSMOS and Pigment.
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 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, with works 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 it's collector base. For more information on EXPO CHICAGO visit expochicago.com.
About Northern Trust
Northern Trust Wealth Management offers holistic wealth management services for affluent individuals and families, family offices, foundations and endowments, and privately held businesses. It is recognized for its innovative technology, service excellence, and depth of expertise and ranks among the top 10 U.S. wealth managers, with $416.1 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2021. The Northern Trust Company is an Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC.
Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management, and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families, and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has a global presence with offices in 22 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., and across 23 locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of December 31, 2021, Northern Trust had assets under custody/administration of US$16.2 trillion, and assets under management of US$1.6 trillion. For more than 130 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity, and innovation. Please visit our website or follow us on Twitter. Northern Trust Corporation, Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A., incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Please read our global and regulatory information.