EXPO CHICAGO Wrap-Up Report: 11th Edition

VIA PR

EXPO CHICAGO concluded its eleventh 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.

“In our 11th edition of Expo Chicago, we are grateful to now be part of the Frieze family,” said Tony Karman, President and Director of Expo Chicago. “There was a tangible sense of excitement around this year’s edition, a sentiment echoed by our patrons and gallerists, translating into strong sales and an energized atmosphere at the fair and throughout the city.”

HIGHLIGHTS

• The /Dialogues Stage and Exchange Stage by Northern Trust were activated by 16 conversations over four days between artists, curators, musicians, museum leaders, critics, and activists. Panels featuring Chance the Rapper, Amanda Williams, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, and more, drew in crowds of attendees, alongside screening programs by Art21 and Daata. Recordings of these conversations will be made available online over the coming weeks.
• EXPO CHICAGO and Independent Curators International’s first ever curatorial conference Curating and the Commons gathered curators for two days of programming on-site at EXPO CHICAGO. Over 200 museum leaders and curators visited EXPO CHICAGO as part of the Directors Summit, Curatorial Forum and Curatorial Exchange.
• Attendance to EXPO CHICAGO increased from last year to 35,000 visitors over four days, with ticket buyers attending from as far as Australia and Taiwan.
• EXPO CHICAGO's expanded program of Purchase Prizes were announced on Friday, including Northern Trust acquisitions for the High Museum of Art, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
• IN/SITU, curated by Amara Antilla, Independent Curator and Guest Curator at Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in Cincinnati, was installed throughout Festival Hall and featured fifteen artists who explored themes of systemic economic failure, ecological instability, and political dissolution. Off-site programs OVERRIDE and IN/SITU Outside extended EXPO CHICAGO's reach beyond Navy Pier.
• Over 50 international exhibitors participated, including a growing number from South Africa, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The EXPOSURE section, featuring galleries ten years or younger and curated by Rosario Güiraldes, Curator of Visual Arts at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, received strong reviews in the press including in The Art Newspaper, Artsy, and ARTnews.

EXPO CHICAGO will return April 24-27, 2025