2022 Edition Welcomed 30,000 Visitors April 7 – 10, 2022, Continuing Chicago’s Trajectory as an International Art Destination
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 timeslot.”
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 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 Exchangeprogram; 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 program 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 of 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