2024 In Review

EXPO CHICAGO concluded its 11th edition on Sunday, April 14, following robust attendance from collectors, curators, and museum directors, totaling over 35,000 visitors. This year the fair saw lively sales across 170 leading galleries from 29 countries and 75 cities. In its first year as part of the Frieze network, EXPO CHICAGO reaffirmed its position as a convening moment for Chicago’s creative and philanthropic communities, showcasing the depth and breadth of the city’s cultural landscape.

Press Highlights

EXPO CHICAGO’s first outing under Frieze draws bustling crowds and engaged buyers | The Art Newspaper

EXPO CHICAGO Proves City Is Strong Player On Global Art Stage | Forbes

The Best Booths at Expo Chicago, from an Ode to Hometown Heroes to Solo Showcases | ARTnews

Under New Ownership, EXPO CHICAGO Maintains Its Midwestern Charm | Artsy

6 Standout Artists at EXPO CHICAGO 2024 | Galerie

A Report on the Action at Expo Chicago, From an ‘Extra Spicy’ Party to Sold-Out Booths | artnet news

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

/DIALOGUES

Presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), /Dialogues offered public panel discussions, conversations, and engaging artistic discourse between today’s most respected arts professionals, including a keynote with Chance the Rapper, Thelonious Stokes, Asma Naeem Ph.D. (Baltimore Museum of Art) and Nate Freeman (Vanity Fair) on hip hop and its contributions to contemporary art; a conversation on art making and social change with For Freedoms; a discussion with Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago curator Carla Acevedo-Yates and artists Candida Alvarez (SAIC Professor Emerit) and Omar Velázquez (SAIC MFA 2016) on the importance of Puerto Rican representation within local  collections and institutions; two roundtable discussions with emerging museum leaders as a part of the Directors Summit that explore civic discourse and foster common ground; a preview of Prospect.6 with co-Artistic Directors Ebony G. Patterson and Miranda Lash and artists Ashley Teamer, Bethany Collins, and Didier William; a foum on criticism as art practice with ARTnews; a conversation on arts spaces outside of traditional centers with Jenny Moore (Tinworks), Kristy Edmunds (MASS MoCA), and Jodi Throckmorton (John Michael Kohler Art Center); a conversation on contemporary craft with 2024 United States Artists fellows; conversations with artists Amanda Williams and Paul Mpagi Sepuya; and interstitial screenings in partnership with Art21 and DAATA.  

IN/SITU

Curated by Amara Antilla, Independent Curator and Guest Curator at Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in Cincinnati, and entitled In the Country of Last Things, IN/SITU 2024 features fifteen artists examining the precarious nature of contemporary life.

Featuring works of American Artist (Labor, Mexico City), Iván Argote (Perrotin, Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Dubai, Los Angeles), Paul Stephen Benjamin (Efraín López, New York), Kiah Celeste (DOCUMENT, Chicago, Lisbon and Swivel Gallery, Brooklyn), Elena Damiani (Revolver Galería, Lima, Buenos Aires, New York), Anne-Karin Furunes (RYAN LEE Gallery, New York), Rico Gatson (Miles McEnery, New York), Maria Hupfield (Patel Brown, Toronto, Montreal), Voluspa Jarpa (NOME, Berlin), Lucia Koch (Nara Roesler, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, New York), Josèfa Ntjam (Galerie Poggi, Paris), Michael Rakowitz (Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago and Jane Lombard Gallery, New York), Claudia Peña Salinas (CURRO, Guadalajara), Tori Wrånes (Nazarian / Curcio, Los Angeles), Lauren Yeager (Abattoir, Cleveland).

IN/SITU Outside

In partnership with Navy Pier and the Black Cube Nomadic Art Museum, IN/SITU Outside presented sculptures by Eddie Martinez on Navy Pier and a sculptural intervention, durational performance and public engagement by Brendan Fernandes at the Logan Monument in Grant Park. 

OVERRIDE

OVERRIDE, organized in collaboration with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), once again presented the work of artists from local, national and international galleries exhibiting at EXPO CHICAGO alongside unrepresented Chicago-based artists on digital billboards throughout the city. Participating artists included Art & Language (René Schmitt, Berlin, WOL), Jada-Amina (Artist, Chicago), Jazmine. (Artist, Chicago), Judy Ledgerwood (Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago), Lawrence Agyei (Artist, Chicago), Lucia Koch (Nara Roesler, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, New York), Raphaël Barontini​ (Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Chicago, Paris, Mexico City), Tom Jones II (Artist, Chicago), Victoria Martinez (Artist, Chicago), and Yuge Zhou (Artist, Chicago).

Curatorial Initiatives

In partnership with Independent Curators International (ICI), this year EXPO CHICAGO presented its first-ever free, public curatorial conference on-site titled Curating and the Commons. Over the course of two days, the conference explored the civic nature and possibilities of art and curatorial practice, and featured a keynote lecture from Miguel A. López, co-curator for the 2024 edition of the Toronto Biennial of Art. In addition, the annual Curatorial Forum and Curatorial Exchange gathered curators nationally and internationally to discuss shared perspectives, goals and challenges facing the field. 

Directors Summit

The third iteration of the Directors Summit brought together a diverse group of museum leaders from across the country for a three-day series of conversations addressing civic responsibility and advancing organizational growth and change in response to the call for an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable future. Shaped in partnership Jill Snyder (Principal, Snyder Consultancy), the Directors Summit centered on two public roundtable discussions that offered a forum for museum leaders to share how their institutions offer an invaluable "third space" to explore civic discourse and foster common ground. The summit included a keynote lecture at the University Club of Chicago by Dr. Louise Bernard, Founding Director of the Obama Presidential Center Museum (The Obama Foundation).

Exhibitor Testimonials

“We experienced remarkable sales at EXPO CHICAGO this year, relishing the opportunity to reunite with friends and cultivate new relationships within Chicago's thriving arts community. Presenting pieces by gallery artists Nir Hod, Lita Albuquerque, and Mark Innerst was exhilarating, and we eagerly await next year's edition.”
—Michael Kohn | Michael Kohn Gallery

“Happy to report another successful EXPO with great private and public sales and many curators and institutional groups visiting our booth and gallery. We enjoyed that many of our artists were engaged with programming at the fair including Ebony G. Patterson, Candida Alvarez, Jake Troyli, Antonius-Tín Bui, Luke Agada, Shinique Smith and Brendan Fernandes.”
—Monique Meloche | moniquemeloche

“The atmosphere was vibrant, with a strong sense of focus and engagement, and a great appetite for learning more about our programme and artists. A considerable number of artworks were sold directly from our booth during the run of the fair. It was a robust and successful fair for us.”
—Jana Terblanche | Southern Guild

“We're so excited to show at EXPO CHICAGO this year, especially coming from a very active arts community in Detroit. The international collectors and curators at the fair have seen the impact of Midwestern artists and galleries on the international market and we're thrilled to showcase artists not only from Detroit and the Midwest, but all over the country.”
—Melanie Baer Schwartz | Library Street Collective

“Two of our intentions in bringing Chicago born Reggie Madison to EXPO was to connect his work with institutional curators and Chicago based collectors, which we've been able to do thanks to the pull of the fair. EXPO has significantly contributed to the visibility of his practice and life's work. We are thrilled with the response in terms of sales and press, but also in terms of building long term relationships in support of Madison's work.”
—Kristen Dodge | SEPTEMBER