Chicago dealers say the Midwestern art capital is undergoing something of a renaissance as events like Expo Chicago raise the profile of the city’s experimental art scene and its connection to other local cultural traditions—like music, architecture and food—both within Chicago and beyond.
The 2023 edition of Expo Chicago, its tenth, will feature stands from more than 170 galleries, the largest number of participants in the fair’s history. (Its predecessor, Art Chicago, drew more than 200 exhibitors at its peak.) Last year’s edition marked Expo’s return to Navy Pier after two years of postponements and virtual programmes due to Covid-19.
Expo will feature stands from familiar galleries including Kavi Gupta, Corbett vs. Dempsey, Monique Meloch, Rhona Hoffman and Gray, which have been mainstays in the Chicago market for decades. But dealers say that a new generation of galleries is exerting its influence in both the local market and the wider culture.
