EXPO Chicago 2025: Highlights for this year's art fair, on and off Navy Pier
'Contrast,' a new curated section focusing on culture and identity, will debut at EXPO Chicago, the annual international art fair featuring contemporary works from more than 170 galleries. The event will run April 24-27 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall.
This marks the second year EXPO will be held since it was acquired by Frieze, a London-based company that began as a magazine and now owns several art fairs, including The Armory Show in New York. While last year's show occurred about six months after the acquisition, this year's show more fully reflects the benefits the fair has realized from being part of a global firm, said EXPO Chicago president and director Tony Karman. One example is the special collaboration this year with the Galleries Association of Korea, a result of the relationships built around Frieze's partnerships in Seoul.
'It was a logical extension for us to work together in Chicago, given the large number of Korean galleries that always did the Chicago art fair,' Karman said. 'There's a foundation that's been established over many, many, many years, and now that we're part of the Frieze family, it's a perfect addition.'
Visitors can also expect to see a refinement of EXPO's floor plan and programming. 'Contrast,' curated by Lauren Haynes, is one such example. Haynes, who is head curator of Governors Island Arts and vice president for Arts and Culture at the Trust for Governors Island, said she designed the section to highlight diverse viewpoints through visual storytelling.
The lineup includes archival photographs by Roy Lewis, Bob Crawford and K. Kofi Moyo, members of Chicago's Black Arts Movement who documented the 1977 Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, held in Lagos, Nigeria. Works by South African artist Esther Mahlangu, the late American artist Thornton Dial, the late Brazilian Indigenous artist Chico da Silva, Chicago-based Kenyan artist Wangari Mathenge and many others will be featured in 'Contrast.'
'It's interesting — the work I've done for my whole curatorial career has been about different perspectives,' Haynes said, noting that she spent a decade earlier in her career at the Studio Museum of Harlem.
EXPO will continue to spotlight the work of galleries 10 years old and younger in its 'Exposure' section. Rosario Güiraldes, curator of visual arts at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, heads up the section for the second year in a row — a departure for EXPO, which usually invites a new section curator each year. 'Exposure' will focus on galleries from Latin America as well as Chicago, featuring many artists, including Brazilian sculptor Denise Milan.
Across the fair, dozens of solo, group and thematic presentations will feature numerous artists, including photographer Rashid Johnson, the first Chicago exhibition of the work of portrait artist Kandy G Lopez, the late photographer Gordon Parks, the late abstract expressionist Helen Frankenthaler, the late painter Juanita Guccione and many more.
We put together some programming highlights — both on and off the Pier.
Creative Voices: Fashion, Art and Cultural Impact: Artists Derrick Adams and Hebru Brantley — both of whom have works featured in The Collection at Fashion Outlets of Chicago — will discuss how art and fashion transform trends and public spaces. Michael Darling, former chief curator of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, will moderate. 6:30-7:30 p.m. April 24 at EXPO Chicago; requires Opening Night ticket, available at expochicago.com
South Side Night: EXPO Art Week kicks off with a number of programs scattered across Hyde Park and Bronzeville. 'Toast to the South Side,' from 6-7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, will feature a performance by Margaret Crowley and Eli Greene in the church's basketball court. 5-9 p.m. April 22 in various locations; details at expochicago.com
Tour of the Conservation Center: Get an inside glimpse of conservation laboratories (designed by Studio Gang Architects) and hear from experts who care for private and corporate art collections. 11 a.m.-noon April 23 at The Conservation Center, 400 N. Wolcott Ave., Suite 3E; registration required at theconservationcenter.com
Exhibition Tour with Alice Gray Stites: Attend a guided tour of 'Truth or Dare: A Reality Show' presented by 21c Chicago chief curator and museum director Alice Gray Stites. The show explores the space between fact and fiction by stressing the importance of questioning. 4-5 p.m. April 25 at 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E. Ontario St.; free, expochicago.com
Gustavo Nazareno Talk: Afro-Brazilian artist Gustavo Nazareno talks with Danny Dunson, director of curatorial services and community partnerships for the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. The topic will be 'Flashing Blackness: Afro-Brazilian Art Through Expressions of the Divine.' 2 p.m. April 26 at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, 740 E. 56th Place; free RSVP at eventbrite.com
Im/Migration and Self-Taught Art in Chicago: Artists Carlos Barberena, Alfonso 'Piloto' Nieves Ruiz and Pooja Pittie — all featured in an Intuit Art Museum exhibit open through Jan. 11, 2026 — will reflect on how migration and self-taught art have enriched Chicago's culture. The panel discussion will be moderated by Alison Amick, chief curator of the Intuit Art Museum, and independent curator Dana Boutin. 1-2 p.m. April 27 at EXPO Chicago; details at expochicago.com
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