Chicago – walking through an art fair can feel like swimming in the middle of Lake Michigan – there is a thin line between floating through art and drowning in it. After all, these shows are not always made for the people who try to swim; They are for those who drive on the yachts. But at Expo Chicago, who went through this Sunday, April 27, I found small islands of hope, perseverance and confirmation.
Since 2012, Expo Chicago has organized its contemporary art fair on the iconic navy pier since 2012. Now, back with more than 200 participants in the second run after being taken over by Frieze, the show tries to stay unique with new partnerships and honest sections. Such an initiative is a collaboration with the Galleries Association of Korea (GAOK). The excitement of the Gaok participants is refreshing – a reminder that what can be a tiring business ritual can still feed for others for some.
“It’s my first time in the US, and I am really enthusiastic about sharing Moonassi with the great collectors and galleries,” Diny Lee, director of the daily Moonday Gallery in Seoul and a fresh sight on Expo. “I have received many great reactions from people here.” Artist Kim Daehyun, that Goes through MoonassiCreates ethereal images of human connection using ink on traditional Korean newspaper that certainly resonate with the public – Lee confirmed that most of the works, priced between $ 7,000 to $ 18,000, had already sold on the opening day.
Coming from Brooklyn, Richard Beavers Gallery suggested speaking with sociopolitical challenges through an exhibition cabin with a theme entitled Simulation. Beavers told me that he hopes that the works will “act as a catalyst for calling on a conversation about these uncomfortable issues.” Works by oil painter Terron Cooper Sorrells do exactly that, what a reconsideration of systems that shape black lived experiences give rise to the arresting figuration and layered images.
In a different view of figuration, painter Leslie Barlow van Bockley Gallery attracts endless visitors in Minneapolis with her imaginative images of black cosplayers. Her love for her community is palpable; When she described Cosplay, she described as a practice that “opens what is possible through identity, radical play and transformation.”
On the outside of the Chicago-based Center for Native Futures Booth, bold-printed black and white vinyl banners by Anna Tsouhlarakis command viewers with bold truths of indigenous peoples. As co-founder of the only native-guided art organization at Expo, Monica Rickert-Bolter feels a responsibility to bring indigenous voices to the foreground. “We hope that visitors get a better idea of what contemporary indigenous art is, and that native art is not only limited to a museum,” she said.
Multimedia artist Sofía Fernández Díaz, whose spicy sculptures that combine craftsmanship, have found materials, and the traditional processes of Mexican craftsmen can be seen by the position of the local Hyde Park Art Center, echoed a similar sentiment.
“It’s a bit strange to be in a fair,” she thought. “But I think it is important to make these bridges, especially by bringing Mexico here and having the power to say:” I am Mexican and I am proud: “Do you know?”
As we spoke, a large crowd started to form around the Hyde Park Art Center stand for their traditional 18:00 opening day toast. Smiles were shared in the swarm of visitors, hugs were exchanged and drinks were cast. There was something in the air. Visitor Jenny Kendler described it as “a current one, perhaps a reaction to the political moment.” Her face relieved when she added: “Things are more colorful and it feels like there is much more joy, and I am surprised to say that!”
After hours of wandering through Expo Chicago, I had an unexpected feeling: Hope. In the storm of recent market instability, political uncertainty and the commercial chaos of art fairs, a liferaft appears. It is the artists who continue to embrace their cultural pride, celebrate their communities and push boundaries – either at fairs or in the world outside.
