EXPO CHICAGO Reports Strong Sales and High Attendance During its Most Global Edition to

EXPO CHICAGO, The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, concluded its seventh edition on Sunday, September 30, with record attendance of 38,000 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 8,000 VIP guests while raising money to benefit the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago during Vernissage. Collectors, curators, artists and art enthusiasts enjoyed an exclusive first look at 135 leading galleries from 27 countries and 63 cities throughout Navy Pier’s iconic Festival Hall.

“We are extremely grateful for the many successes of our participating exhibitors, as well as the overwhelmingly positive response to our critically acclaimed programming and our commitment to making Chicago in September the place to be for national and international curators,” said EXPO CHICAGO President | Director Tony Karman. “I am equally proud that our seventh edition alignment with The Terra Foundation for American Art’s year-long initiative Art Design Chicago, contributing to an extraordinary week of international art and design events and exhibitions and highlighted by Hans Ulrich Obrist’s Creative Chicago marathon,” he added. “There is no city in the world that collaborates like Chicago and that attitude coupled with the incredible support and involvement of our cultural institutions, collectors, galleries and artists ensures that we will continue to welcome the world together in support of our exhibitors and the work being done in contemporary and modern art today.”

Featuring one of the most rigorous and challenging platforms for contemporary art and culture, under the leadership of EXPO CHICAGO Director of Programming Stephanie Cristello, dynamic programming engaged visitors throughout Chicago, including the /DialoguesSymposium, Present Histories: Art & Design in Chicago, created in partnership with The Terra Foundation for American Art’s year-long initiative Art Design Chicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; curator Pablo León de la Barra’s immersive IN/SITU installation series, transforming Navy Pier’s Festival Hall; curator Anna Gritz’s engaging EXPO VIDEO presentation; Daata Editions’ curation of sound pieces for EXPO Sound; 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); the Art Critics Forum discussion of “Criticism and the Image;” the engagement of over 30 curators in the Curatorial Forum in partnership with Independent Curators International (ICI); and the expansion and implementation of the Curatorial Exchange program.

EXPO CHICAGO welcomed back many returning galleries for 2018 as well as several new additions, whose curated and ambitious presentations drew critical praise. Exhibitors expressed that they received strong support from the greater Midwest collector base in addition to a high volume of nationally and internationally notable collectors, museum curators and institutions.

“Our second year participating in EXPO CHICAGO has been fantastic. We have reconnected with collectors, curators and the public alike, and have sold several important works including Terry Adkins’ sculpture Untitled (2002), which is a promised gift to a major Chicago institution. Adkins’ sculpture Untitled (Bessie Smith Head, Red), (2007) also sold in addition to Pat Steir’s painting Ancient Waterfall (1989) and Karin Schneider’s canvas H(AR/BP + C) (Marsupial), (2018).”

— Emilio Steinberger | Lévy Gorvy

"We are pleasantly surprised about the exceptionally strong response we received at EXPO CHICAGO this year. Sales on the first day far surpassed our expectations and we sold important works by the artists we presented this year: Edgar Arceneaux, Sadie Benning, Hugo McCloud and Raffi Kalenderian. We sold to important collectors in Chicago but also made important new connections to collectors from other parts of the U.S. we had not previously known. The turnout of curators and collectors was exceptional, so we feel that there has been a huge leap forward for this fair this year. We think that the fair has now established itself within the company of the most important international fairs today — the sales are robust, the pace is swift, but not hectic, conversations are productive and the response is enthusiastic. Overall, we are extremely pleased with the results!”

— Susanne Vielmetter | Susanne Vielmetter

“We think of EXPO CHICAGO as the unofficial kick off of the art fair 'season' and it set a great tone yet again this year. Sales were excellent. Tony and his team do a tremendous job with the organization and programming as well, so from the gallery-side, it has a pleasure to participate in the fair."

— Eric Gleason | Paul Kasmin Gallery

"We were excited to participate in EXPO CHICAGO for our second year and bring new works by Awol Erizku. The response to the new body of work was very positive. We had a successful fair selling works ranging from $14,000 to $40,000, meeting new collectors, as well as seeing those who are already connected with the gallery."

— Alexis Rose | Night Gallery

“The gallery was extremely happy to return to EXPO CHICAGO this year for the third time. EXPO CHICAGO has been a wonderful platform for the gallery to continue to foster relationships with Chicago institutions and collectors. This year we were very excited to place a video work by American artist Paul Pfeiffer (approximately $50,000–$80,000) into a prestigious Chicago collection.”

— Donald Ryan | Perrotin

“We always love being in Chicago at this time of year. At this year’s edition of EXPO CHICAGO we solidified our existing relationships and will continue cultivating new ones. As always, we met several new curators from across the United States and Europe.”

— Claire Bergeal | Bortolami

“WE HAD A FANTASTIC FAIR THIS YEAR. OUR GOAL WAS TO MEET NEW LOCAL COLLECTORS, AND WE ACCOMPLISHED THAT AND MORE. OUR SALES WERE STRONG, AND THE CURATORIAL ATTENDANCE WAS EXCELLENT AS WELL.”

— LAUREN WITTELS | LUHRING AUGUSTINE

"THE FAIR LOOKED BETTER THAN EVER FROM BOOTHS TO PROGRAMMING. I PARTICULARLY LOVED PABLO LEÓN DE LA BARRA AND ANNA GRITZ'S CONTRIBUTIONS. I SAW GREAT EXAMPLES BY ARTISTS I KNOW AND INTRIGUING WORKS BY ARTISTS WHO WERE NEW TO ME. WE SOLD NINE WORKS BY FIVE ARTISTS AND HAD MANY EXCITING CONVERSATIONS."

— JESSICA SILVERMAN | JESSICA SILVERMAN GALLERY

“THE HIGH QUALITY AND DIVERSITY OF ARTWORKS AND ARTISTS AT THIS YEAR’S EDITION OF EXPO CHICAGO MADE FOR A DYNAMIC FAIR. THE VARIETY OF AUDIENCES, BOLSTERED BY THIS YEAR’S EXPANDED INTERNATIONAL CURATORIAL FORUM, PRESENTED A RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISCUSSIONS AND ACQUISITIONS. WE PRESENTED PERFORMANCE IN OUR BOOTH FOR THE FIRST TIME — BRENDAN FERNANDES’ THE MASTER AND FORM SCULPTURAL ACTIVATIONS — AND WERE STRUCK BY THE DEGREE OF VIEWERS’ INTEREST AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THIS TYPE OF WORK.”

— ANIKO BERMAN | MONIQUE MELOCHE

“WE ARE PROUD OF THE SUCCESS WE HAD AT THIS YEAR'S FAIR. CHICAGO IS A GREAT PLACE TO MEET WITH CURATORS – AROUND 30 WERE INVITED FOR THE CURATORIAL FORUM, AND IT WAS GREAT TO CONNECT WITH THEM THROUGHOUT THE EVENT.”

— TINA KIM | TINA KIM GALLERY

“EXPO CHICAGO THIS YEAR EXCEEDED OUR EXPECTATIONS AND WE HAD MANY SIGNIFICANT VISITORS THAT WE THINK WILL LEAD TO MUSEUM ACQUISITIONS AND PLACEMENTS FOR FUTURE PROJECTS WITH CURATORS AND DEALERS. WE WERE ALWAYS BUSY AND WERE SO EXCITED TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE EXCITED BY THE WORK. WE LOOK FORWARD TO BUILDING ON THE LAST FEW DAYS!”

— EDEN DEERING | P.P.O.W

“THIS YEAR’S EDITION WAS WELL-ATTENDED WITH THE PRESENCE OF STRONG CURATORS. WE HAVE RECEIVED A GREAT RECEPTION FROM LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLECTORS. OUR SOLO BOOTH OF CLOTILDE JIMENEZ WAS A GREAT SUCCESS.”

— MARIANE IBRAHIM | MARIANE IBRAHIM

“EXPO CHICAGO was wonderful for us again this year. Los Angeles-based Amir H. Fallah received the Northern Trust Purchase Prize for his painting, Calling On The Past, 2018, which was acquired for the Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago. Shortly after, two supporters of the museum acquired three works by Fallah, with two of those works being a promised gift to the Smart Museum of Art. Before the end of the first day, we had successfully placed every work in our booth by both Amir H. Fallah and Brooklyn-based Naudline Pierre. As always, the curatorial support was strong. We had wonderful conversations with curators at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, the AMAM at Oberlin College and of course the Smart Museum of Art. For our second year at EXPO CHICAGO, we were once again impressed by the quality of the collectors, and the support that is felt from the fair’s institutions and partnerships in Chicago. We will certainly return next year!

— Seth Curcio | Shulamit Nazarian

"EXPO CHICAGO felt especially well tuned this year as the level of programming seemed to outdo itself, engaging more and more curators, artists, scholars, and collectors. EXPO CHICAGO seemed to reach beyond itself with things like the Chicago Humanities Festival's staging of Hans Ulrich Obrist's Interview Marathon (channeling the rigor of Studs Turkel) which included our artist Cauleen Smith, the fantastic Override program, taking over billboards across the city, which included our artist Brian Calvin. On the fair floor, we noticed a heightened sense of engagement. Many colleagues remarked that it reminded them of the good ol' days - collectors spending time getting into the guts of an artist or an artwork, with focused time on investigation. With our historic themed booth, 50 Years of Response, we placed key historic works with collectors and future institutions that nurture the rich history of art in Chicago and beyond."

— Jim Dempsey | Corbett vs. Dempsey

“We are very excited after our participation in EXPO CHICAGO. We do several international art fairs and are always looking to expand our markets, we believed Chicago was a good place to try and we were not disappointed. The fair gave us access to collectors from the Midwest we usually don’t see somewhere else, and it is always a success when you finish a fair with new clients and good sales. Thank you to all the EXPO CHICAGO team!”

— Omayra Alvarado | Instituto de Visión

“It was a huge honor to represent the Royal Academy of Arts as part of the NFP Editions collective, launched at EXPO CHICAGO this year. Along with Tate and Field Editions, we made some great sales and really felt that the fair’s visitors were engaged and excited about our non-profit venture. We very much hope to be able to build upon the success of this year at EXPO CHICAGO in 2019.”

— Katherine Oliver | NFP Editions

"Our first experience with EXPO CHICAGO has been a good one! It assured us that we have to relive the experience. The vibrancy of the city is reflected in the quality of the fair’s visitors. All four Greek artists presented have attracted a lot of attention and we have placed works with important collections.”

— Roupen Kalfayan | Kalfayan Gallery

“It was our first year showing at EXPO CHICAGO and I was amazed at the sheer outspoken passion of collectors, both seasoned and new. Business moved quickly from the moment the fair opened and continued steadily throughout the fair. A deal is still closing today, one day after the fair ended. Barnaby Barford works on paper were sold into collections based in Chicago and also in California, one work will even head back to Europe (five of Barford’s works were sold in total). I also have a waitlist of collectors for future works by the artist. Additionally, a chair by the late Dame Zaha Hadid in American Walnut titled UltraStellar was sold to a Chicago collector, showing that important works of design also have a place in the context of the art fair. We look forward to showing again next year, and have a few ideas to give Chicagoans something new to surprise them in 2019.”

— Daniel Malarkey | David Gill Gallery

"This year, we had great attention from both Chicago curators and curators nationwide. So far, our artists have already seen the development of several institutional projects from the conversations that took place at EXPO CHICAGO. We nearly sold out, including the sale of an amazing work by Luis Camnitzer to a collection in Boston. This is our fifth year participating in EXPO CHICAGO, and each year we find that we have collectors returning to our presentation each day to continue conversations and buy work throughout the weekend. We cannot wait to be back next year!"

— René Schmitt | RENÉ SCHMITT DRUCKGRAPHIK

“EXPO CHICAGO is in the unique position to unlock the entire Midwestern region to the global art community. Each year, we take home indispensable new contacts from the fair.”

— Margot Samel | GRIMM

“EXPO CHICAGO has been wonderful exposure for an emerging artist like Vaughn Spann. We are excited to have placed the work in strong Chicago collections, outside of the usual New York and Los Angeles spheres.”

— Erin Goldberger | Half Gallery

"We are very happy to have returned to EXPO CHICAGO with a solo presentation by Nate Lewis. The work has received incredible response from the press, museum curators and collectors. By Saturday, we sold nearly all the pieces we had brought.”

— Iliya Fridman | FRIDMAN GALLERY

Curatorial Forum

In an effort to draw leaders from top institutions to the exposition, EXPO CHICAGO once again hosted the Curatorial Forum, welcoming more than 30 mid-career and established curators for the third year. Participating institutions included Beta-Local, California African American Museum, Carnegie Museum of Art, CCA Wattis, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, Frost Museum of Art, Handwerker Gallery, Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Museum of the African Diaspora, New Orleans Museum of Art, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, On the Boards, Pace Gallery, Phoenix Art Museum, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Row House, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Spelman College Museum, Stamps Gallery, The Museum of Modern Art, Ulrich Museum of Art, University of Illinois in Chicago School of Art & Art History and Whitney Museum of American Art.

The Forum also included a private Symposium in partnership with Independent Curators International (ICI), in addition to a series of break-out sessions focused on critical questions relevant to contemporary practice and context, led by internationally recognized leaders in the field. The Symposium featured key note speaker Jochen Volz, the General Director of the Pinacoteca de São Paulo.

"For the third year running, Independent Curators International (ICI) and EXPO CHICAGO partnered on the Curatorial Forum, bringing more than 30 curators from across the United States and beyond to the fair with three days of curatorial programs. We were thrilled to continue our collaboration with the Graham Foundation, and this year with the Logan Center. The key note lecture by Jochen Volz, Director of Pinacoteca de Sao Paulo, set the tone for the Forum, bringing forth various models of commissioning and working with artists to bring joy, articulate arguments, build an audience and produce new realities. This year's Forum was an inspiring experience that, we hope, will lead to new collaborations and continued exchange among the participating curators."

— Renaud Proch | Executive Director, Independent Curators International

Curatorial Exchange

This year EXPO CHICAGO built upon a pilot program initiated in 2013 by EXPO CHICAGO, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in Chicago and the Institut Français, and officially launched the Curatorial Exchange program, an unprecedented international initiative developed in partnership with foreign consulates and cultural agencies. The Curatorial Exchange offered 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 access to exhibitions, top private collections, artist studios, museums and institutions during EXPO CHICAGO.

In 2018, the Curatorial Exchange brought curators from China (supported by the China Arts and Entertainment Group), Denmark (supported by the Danish Ministry for Culture and Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs), France (supported by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in Chicago), Italy (supported by the Italian Cultural Institute) and The Netherlands (supported by the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York). Participating curators included Senior Research Fellow of the National Museum of China Chen Lyusheng (China); Curator of the China Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale Dr. Li Xiangning (China); National Art Museum of China’s Curator of the Curatorial and Research Department Liu Chunfeng (China); CAPC Bordeaux Chief Curator Alice Motard (France); Independent Curator and 89plus Europe, Africa and India Director Julie Boukobza (France); GAMeC – Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Chief Curator Alessandro Rabottini (Italy); MART Museum of Trento/Rovereto Director Gianfranco Maraniello (Italy); and Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht Curator of Contemporary Art Paula van den Bosch (The Netherlands).

2018 Programming

EXPO CHICAGO’s robust programming 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 panel discussions, conversations and provocative artistic discourse between today’s most respected art professionals including a featured symposium Present Histories: Art & Design in Chicago in conjunction with The Terra Foundation for American Art’s year-long initiative Art Design Chicago, featuring a performative intervention by artist Brendan Fernandes and conversations featuring writer Sarah Thornton, AfriCOBRA founding member Gerald Williams (SAIC BFA 1951), artists Torkwase Dyson, Kay Rosen, Theaster Gates (SAIC HON 2014) and more.

Additional panels included a discussion with 2017 MacArthur Fellow Dawoud Bey on the artist's continued interest in the ways in which history can be engaged, invoked and materialized in relation to African American history and experience; an open-to-the-public conversation for the Curatorial Forum on immersion and the senses in exhibition making, featuring Anna Gritz (Curator | KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin and 2018 EXPO VIDEO Curator), Andria Hickey (Senior Curator | MOCA Cleveland), Sean Raspet (Artist | Jessica Silverman Gallery) and Jo-ey Tang (Director of Exhibitions | Beeler Gallery, Columbus College of Art and Design), moderated by Stephanie Cristello (Director of Programming | EXPO CHICAGO, Editor-in-Chief | THE SEEN, SAIC BFA 2013); Iván Navarro and Marcela Guerrero (Assistant Curator, Whitney Museum of American Art) on institutional structures of power; a conversation moderated by Co-Curator of the U.S. Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale Mimi Zeiger with architects and scholars on how data is visualized, and the responsibility of representation; and Daniel Berger, a leading clinician and researcher in the field of HIV/AIDS as well as an avid art collector and Founder of Iceberg Projects, on the occasion of his recent book Militant Eroticism: The ART+Positive Archives published by Sternberg Press.

As part of the 2018 Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting, a series of exclusive discussions on the contemporary art market, institutions and the economy, EXPO CHICAGO and Art Vérité partnered to present the inaugural Professionals Forum in the United States. The Forum provided professional and preventative specialist knowledge and skills as it relates to the growing legal issues of fraudulent activity in art. Discussion topics included: Contract is King: Due Diligence and Reducing Problems in Art Dealing, Caveat Emptor: Equipping Collectors and Art Professionals and Safeguarding Your Rights: What Artists and Collectors Need to Know. Panelists included Dr. Sharon Flescher, Executive Director of IFAR and Editor-In-Chief of the IFAR Journal; Andrea Danese, CEO and President of Athena Art Finance Corp.; and Brian C. Brusokas, Special Agent for the FBI Art Crime Team.

Additional panelists for Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting included collectors Mamadou-Abou Sarr and Catherine Sarr, President of Strategic Giving and The Chicago Community Trust Executive Committee Member, Shawn M. Donnelley, Desert X Artistic Director Neville Wakefield and Artsy Senior Market Reporter Eileen Kinsella.

Curated by Pablo León la Barra, the 2018 IN/SITU program featured major suspended installations in addition to large-scale work capitalizing on the unique architecture of Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. IN/SITU featured the work of Carmen Argote (Instituto de Visión | Bogota), Iván Argote (PERROTIN | New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai), Firelei Báez (Kavi Gupta | Chicago), Judy Chicago (Jessica Silverman Gallery | San Francisco and Salon 94 | New York), Sam Durant (Praz-Delavallade | Los Angeles, Paris), Iván Navarro (Paul Kasmin Gallery | New York), Postcommodity (Bockley Gallery | Minneapolis), Carlos Motta (P.P.O.W | New York), Oscar Murillo (David Zwirner | New York, London, Hong Kong), Bosco Sodi (Paul Kasmin Gallery | New York).

The 2018 EXPO VIDEO program, Portrait of a Tongue — Towards Non-Visibility, was on view in two large-format screenings rooms on the main floor of Festival Hall. Curated by Anna Gritz, EXPO VIDEO featured an in-depth presentation by nine artists whose films question the material reality of contents pictured in an image. Artists included Kandis Williams (Night Gallery | Los Angeles), Ed Atkins (Gavin Brown’s enterprise | New York, Rome), Hannah Black (Arcadia Missa | London), Judy Chicago (Jessica Silverman Gallery | San Francisco and Salon 94 | New York), Tony Cokes (Video Data Bank), Adam Putnam (P.P.O.W | New York), Nicole Wermers (Jessica Silverman Gallery | San Francisco) and Kathleen White (Martos Gallery | New York). For a complete Curatorial Statement and descriptions of the selected artworks, click here.

IN/SITU Outside, in partnership with the Chicago Park District and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events featured the work of Justin Brice Guariglia (MARUANI MERCIER) Iván Navarro (Paul Kasmin Gallery) and Lawrence Weiner and will be on display for an extended period of time throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods and along the lakefront.

OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project, in collaboration with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, allowed EXPO CHICAGO to once again further extend its reach throughout the city by placing the work of 13 artists from local, national and international galleries on Chicago’s City Digital Network. As part of a dedicated site-specific installation series, Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates displayed his latest series Black Madonna (2018) exclusively on the billboard located at 515 W. Ida B. Wells Dr. The citywide public art initiative launched September 17 and is on view through October 7. For a complete listing of all OVERRIDE artists and documentation, click here.

EXPO CHICAGO presented the second annual EXPO Sound program during the seventh edition. Curated by Daata Editions, work by renowned contemporary artists were paired with sound pieces produced by current students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The program was installed at the /Dialogues Stage within the exposition hall, providing a dynamic interlude to the panel programming at the 2018 edition. For a list of artists and work, click here.

19 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 unique and high-quality exhibitions. Top museums, universities, organizations and institutions participated. For a complete list of participants and projects, click here.

EXPO CHICAGO also presented the third annual Art Critics Forum on Saturday, September 29. Moderated by THE SEEN writer Ruslana Lichtzier, “Criticism and the Image” featured presentations by noted journalists including freelance writer Ann Binlot, LEAP Editor-in-Chief Robin Peckham, Art in America Editor William S. Smith and Terremotto Editor Diego Del Valle Rios, followed by a roundtable discussion.

For more programming, please visit expochicago.com.