EXPO Chicago goes beyond Navy Pier
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Artist John Garcia's work presented by Tureen at Neighbors. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
This weekend's EXPO Chicago showcases galleries and artists from around the world. But to see some of them, you'll have to venture beyond the usual venues.
Why it matters: EXPO is an opportunity for the art world to engage with revered institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago and a vibrant collector base from across the Midwest. But so much of the action happens beyond the fair's Navy Pier walls.
Case in point: Mirka Serrato has turned her rental apartment at Astor Court in the Gold Coast into Neighbors, an exhibition space for 15 artists and galleries from Chicago, Dallas, LA, Milwaukee, New York and London.
- Serrato says the space offers "the right combination of commercial grit and taste," appealing to younger galleries that sell at more accessible price points.
State of play: Dallas gallery Tureen features a work with three candlestick sculptures arranged on pedestals and a mantel in what was likely a bedroom.
- A mirror with black text reading "Release" hangs above. The conceptual work is a striking contrast to the Georgian Revival architecture of the apartment.
- Shanghai Seminary, based in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood, features Caitlyn Min-ji Au's all-encompassing piece made of bubble wrap, paint, a plush toy, and other materials in the bathroom. It even taps into the water line for a playful, interactive element.
- Representatives of both Tureen and Shanghai Seminary say displaying at Neighbors was a more affordable option.
Context: This year's EXPO at Navy Pier features fewer booths than previous years, about 130 compared with 170, and is the first fair under new director Kate Sierzputowski.
- The smaller format is meant to feel more intimate for fairgoers but by no means less exciting than in the past, she tells Axios.
- Chicago galleries remain on the map, and Sierzputowski has launched new institutional partnerships, including one with the Obama Presidential Center.
Between the lines: Before her current leadership role at EXPO Chicago, Sierzputowski cultivated intimate art spaces similar to Neighbors as co-founder of the miniature art fair Barely Fair, also running this weekend, and as a curator who has exhibited everywhere from her shower to her ear.
The bottom line: Chicago's creative community leans more toward support than competition.
- A major art fair like EXPO doesn't detract from the scene, but amplifies it. This was clear on Wednesday afternoon at Neighbors, where a steady stream of visitors funneled through, chatting with artists and galleries about the work.