EXPO CHICAGO returns to Navy Pier April 24-27, 2025, with a dynamic lineup of programming alongside its gallery presentations. Highlights include the IN/SITU, installations across Festival Hall; /Dialogues panel series; OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project, artworks presented on citywide billboards; and the Northern Trust Exchange Stage. The fair will also feature institutional programming, including the much anticipated Directors Summit, Curatorial Forum and Curatorial Exchange.
“The 2025 edition of EXPO CHICAGO will present a dynamic line up of programming that fosters meaningful artistic dialogue,” says Tony Karman, President and Director of EXPO CHICAGO. “From curated installations to thought-provoking panel discussions, our goal is to create an engaging and enriching experience for all attendees. We are deeply grateful to our sponsors and partners, whose steadfast support makes diverse offerings possible.”
Details of the core programs and the full schedule can be found at expochicago.com.
IN/SITU: 우리 Uri: We, Us, Our
EXPO CHICAGO’s IN/SITU program realizes site-responsive and large-scale work throughout Festival Hall. The 2025 IN/SITU program, curated by Jessica Hong, Chief Curator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO, is titled 우리 Uri: We, Us, Our, and features artists working in duos, collaboratives, and cooperatives, including families and those tied to artistic movements. Using Dansaekhwa as a point of reference, the section examines artists that forge transformative cultural pathways with generational impact in times of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. 우리 highlights generative practices of exchange, co-authorship, and co-creation, urgently reminding us of our place within and responsibility to a complex and entwined sociocultural fabric.
The program will feature artists Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan (Sundaram Tagore); Langlands & Bell (Cristea Roberts Gallery); Native Art Department International (Patel Brown); Christo and Jeanne-Claude (Hexton Gallery); CrossLypka (april april); Deborah Oropallo and Andy Rappaport (Catharine Clark Gallery); Papunya Tula Artists collective (SmithDavidson Gallery); Postcommodity (Bockley Gallery); and Tromarama (DOCUMENT). Dansaekhwa artists featured in the presentation are Kim Tschang-yeul, Chung Sang-Hwa, Yun Hyong-keun and Lee Dong-youb (BHAK Gallery); Hyungdae Kim (Keumsan Gallery); and Chung Chang-Sup and Yun Hyong-Keun (Wellside Gallery).
More information may be found at expochicago.com.
/Dialogues
/Dialogues brings together leading curators, artists, designers, and arts professionals for a series of panel discussions, forums, and artistic discourse on topics of the moment.
Highlights include conversations with artists Derrick Adams and Hebru Brantley on fashion and culture; a discussion with curators Cecilia Alemani (High Line Art), Myriam Ben Salah (The Renaissance Society) and Julieta González (Wexner Center for the Arts); Jiseon Lee Isbara (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Seolhui Lee (2024 Korean Pavilion, Venice Biennale) and Andy St. Louis (Seoul Art Friend) on contemporary Korean art, moderated by Pat Lee (Frieze Seoul); a discussion with artist Amanda Williams and Jamillah James (Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago); a screening of For Those That Lived There with filmmaker Shawn Antoine II and Jada-Amina (Black Harvest Film Festival); and a panel on queer art and activism in Chicago with Edie Fake, Doug Ischar and Patric McCoy, moderated by Jack Schneider (Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago); as well as two conversations as part of the Directors Summit; and a partnership with Art21.
/Dialogues is presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) with additional support from THE COLLECTION: Where Art Meets Fashion.
The full /Dialogues program may be found at expochicago.com
OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project
In collaboration with the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), OVERRIDE is a citywide public art that displays work by both emerging and established artists from Chicago and around the world. From April 7–27, 100+ digital billboards and information panels across Chicago’s Central Business District will display a selection of works by artists in the fair such as Adam Daley Wilson (ENGAGE Projects), Ryan Patrick Krueger (Rivalry Projects), Damon Locks (Goldfinch), Judy Pfaff (Tandem Press), Tschabalala Self (Two Palms), and Seung Yul Oh (ONE AND J. Gallery) as well as local Chicago artists bARBER, John Behnke, Carina Vargas-Nuñez and Shi Zheng.
More information on the 2025 OVERRIDE program may be found at expochicago.com.
Exchange by Northern Trust
Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting offers fair attendees discussions on collecting and the art market with industry leaders, including a conversation with Rachel Adams (Bemis Center), Sarah Arison (Museum of Modern Art, YoungArts), and Chiwoniso Kaitano (MacDowell) on non-traditional educational structures in arts patronage, moderated by Nate Freeman (Vanity Fair); Simon Anderson (SAIC), Hannah Higgins (University of Illinois Chicago), Jennifer Levine (Collector) and Laura Mandel (Northern Trust) in discussion on the valuation of non-traditional media, moderated by Roberta Kramer (Heritage Auctions); panel on collecting Gertrude Abercrombie featuring John Corbett (Corbett vs. Dempsey), Robert Cozzolino (Independent Curator), Erica Meyer (Collector) and Susan Weininger (Roosevelt University), moderated by Zack Wirsum (Freeman’s | Hindman), Clinée Hedspeth (City of Chicago) and Eric McKissack (Collector), on exploring collecting as a form of cultural investment and its role in enriching communities.
The full program may be found at expochicago.com.
Directors Summit
For the first time in 2025, the program will gather distinguished leaders from across the globe. This year’s Directors Summit roundtables will consider the museum as a living organism that serves to heal, protect, connect, and create. The Summit features a keynote lecture by Julie Trébault, Executive Director of Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), who will speak about contemporary global trends and artistic free expression; as well as two panels as part of /Dialogues. Speakers include: Amanda de La Garza (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía), Guillaume Désanges (Palais de Tokyo), Myles Russel-Cook (The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art), Stefanie Hessler (Swiss Institute), Laura-Caroline de Lara (DePaul Art Museum) and Monetta White (The Museum of the African Diaspora).
The Directors Summit is in partnership with museum consultant Jill Snyder (Principal, Snyder Consultancy). Supported by Bloomberg Connects and Heritage Auctions. With additional support by The University Club of Chicago, the Australian Consulate-General in Chicago, Consulate General of Switzerland in New York, Villa Albertine – Consulate General of France in Chicago and Instituto Cervantes of Chicago.
Learn more at expochicago.com.
Curatorial Initiatives
The Curatorial Forum, co-organized with Independent Curators International (ICI), offers mid-career and established curators, working independently or with an institutional affiliation, the opportunity to engage with their peers and explore significant issues in the field at EXPO CHICAGO. Titled Building a Cathedral, the 2025 curatorial conference theme leans into the question of what’s next for cultural institutions that remain in need of reform. The two-day program of talks takes the metaphor of cathedral construction to examine approaches to curatorial work. The forum will open with a public keynote lecture by independent curator, cultural critic, and policy analyst Marian Pastor Roces, and be followed by two panel discussions—Foundation and Transmission featuring artists, curators, and cultural practitioners who explore the possibilities of transcending traditional art institutional structures.
The Curatorial Exchange is an invitation-only program and is one of the nation’s only dedicated initiatives focused on funding global curator convenings that fosters future collaborations for curators on the local, national, and international level. The Curatorial Exchange at EXPO CHICAGO is developed in partnership with foreign consulates and cultural agencies from countries around the world.
The 2025 Curatorial Forum is co-produced by EXPO CHICAGO and ICI, and made possible, in part, by the generous support of Bloomberg Connects, 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, the Joyce Foundation, Teiger Foundation; with additional support by UAP | Urban Art Projects.
See more information about the Curatorial Initiatives at expochicago.com.
Prizes
Each year, EXPO CHICAGO and Presenting Sponsor Northern Trust select three institutions to be recipients of the Northern Trust Purchase Prize, in which they are gifted artworks from the fair’s EXPOSURE section which features galleries ten years and younger for their permanent collections. This year, the purchase prize will be gifted to the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
2025 marks the third year of the Barbara Nessim Acquisition Prize and the Barbara Nessim Curatorial Travel Award, presented by EXPO CHICAGO and ICI. The acquisition prize will be dedicated to the purchase of an artwork created by a woman- identifying artist that will be donated to the DePaul Art Museum. The curatorial award is an annual travel grant which will be awarded to support the curatorial practice of one-woman identifying curator attending the 2025 Curatorial Forum.
Artworks will be announced during the run of the fair.
EXPO ART WEEK (April 21-27)
EXPO ART WEEK will once again galvanize Chicago’s cultural ecosystem through citywide events and celebrations. Highlights of EXPO ART WEEK include South Side Night (Tuesday, April 22), in collaboration with UChicago Arts and Block Club Chicago, which promotes special programs and late opening hours in Hyde Park, Bronzeville and surrounding areas and Art After Hours (Friday, April 25), in collaboration with Gertie and Block Club Chicago which features late night gallery openings and programs across the city.
A list of events taking place during EXPO ART WEEK can be found at expochicago.com.
About EXPO CHICAGO
EXPO CHICAGO showcases leading contemporary and modern art galleries each April at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, alongside a diverse and inventive program of talks, on-site installations, and public art initiatives. Inaugurated in 2012, EXPO CHICAGO draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while highlighting the region’s contemporary arts community. In 2023, EXPO CHICAGO was acquired by Frieze, the world’s leading platform for modern and contemporary art. For more information on EXPO CHICAGO, visit expochicago.com.
About the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) supports artists and cultural organizations, invests in the creative economy, and expands access and participation in the arts throughout Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. As a collaborative cultural presenter, arts funder, and advocate for creative workers, our programs and events serve Chicagoans and visitors of all ages and backgrounds, downtown and in diverse communities across our city—to strengthen and celebrate Chicago. DCASE produces some of the city’s most iconic festivals, markets, events, and exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, and in communities across the city—serving a local and global audience of 25 million people. The Department offers cultural grants and resources, manages public art, supports TV and film production and other creative industries, and permits special events throughout Chicago. For details, visit Chicago.gov/DCASE and stay connected via our newsletters and social media.
PARTNERS
Presenting Sponsor:
Northern Trust Wealth Management offers holistic wealth management services for affluent individuals and families, family offices, foundations and endowments, and privately held businesses. It is recognized for its innovative technology, service excellence and depth of expertise, with $450.7 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2024. The Northern Trust Company is an Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC.
About Northern Trust
Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has a global presence with offices in 24 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., and across 22 locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of December 31, 2024, Northern Trust had assets under custody/administration of US$16.8 trillion, and assets under management of US$1.6 trillion. For more than 135 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity and innovation. Visit us on northerntrust.com. Follow us on Instagram @northerntrustcompany or Northern Trust on LinkedIn.
Northern Trust Corporation, Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A., incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Global legal and regulatory information can be found at https://www.northerntrust.com/terms-and-conditions.
Premier Partners:
Audi of America
The Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Audi Dealers are proud to support this year’s EXPO CHICAGO. Partnering with Chicago based artist Rubén Aguirre on Audi's Lounge, Ruben has created an abstract mixed media mural installation inspired by the location of EXPO CHICAGO at Navy Pier on Lake Michigan and the drive down Lake Shore Drive. This work is a reflection and tribute to the city's greatest natural beauty, coming together with the all-new Audi Q6 e-tron's new way to experience driving. More information and to schedule a test drive at your local Audi dealer at https://www.audiusa.com/offers/.
Champagne Pommery
Known for its avant-garde spirit, Madame Pommery introduced Brut Champagne in 1874. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of this creation, Champagne Pommery presents Cuvée Apanage 1874. Blending tradition with innovation, Champagne Pommery upholds Madame Pommery’s legacy, championing art and culture through exhibitions and opening its historic Gallo-Roman chalk cellars to artists worldwide.
TASCHEN
Founded in 1980, the legendary arthouse TASCHEN is renowned globally for publishing ambitious illustrated books on art, architecture, design and more. As a partner of EXPO CHICAGO, TASCHEN will highlight Salvador Dali. Baby Sumo, art prints by Santiago Calatrava as well as photography prints by Annie Leibovitz and Howard Bingham.
Turkish Airlines
As the Premier Airline Partner of EXPO CHICAGO, Turkish Airlines aims to connect the world by its extensive network and awarded inflight experience. Not only standing out as an airline flying to more countries than any other, Turkish Airlines is also well-recognized for its state-of-art Business Class onboard catering thanks to its unique approach of blending Turkish cultural heritage with contemporary trends.
Yvel
Founded in 1986 by Orna and Isaac Levy, Yvel is celebrated for its unique luxury jewelry, crafted from rare pearls, natural diamonds, and precious gemstones. Each piece showcases a commitment to natural beauty and timeless elegance. Presented at EXPO CHICAGO this year, Yvel’s Art to Wear collection redefines the boundaries of jewelry, presenting it as a true form of wearable art.
Lead Partners:
Don Julio
Handcrafted in Jalisco’s highlands from the finest blue agave, Don Julio Tequila blends tradition and innovation. From the crisp notes of Don Julio Blanco to the rich depth of 1942, each bottle is expertly distilled and aged to perfection. Smooth, sophisticated, and effortlessly premium—tequila perfected.
Ketel One
Ketel One Vodka is a premium, family-made vodka crafted in Schiedam, Holland, using traditional copper pot stills and modern distillation techniques. Renowned for its smooth taste and crisp finish, Ketel One delivers exceptional quality, perfect for cocktails or sipping neat. Experience the dedication to craftsmanship in every bottle.
Official Partners:
Bloomberg Connects
Bloomberg Connects is a free digital guide to hundreds of cultural organizations around the world, including art museums, gardens, historic houses, sculpture parks, and more, which can be explored anytime, anywhere. It features expert commentary, engaging audio content, accessibility features, interactive maps, and is available in over 40 languages through Google Translate.
Fashion Outlets of Chicago
Macerich’s Fashion Outlets of Chicago is an award-winning, two-level indoor shopping center that is home to 130+ upscale outlets in addition to a multifaceted contemporary art program, THE COLLECTION: Where Art Meets Fashion. Featuring 25 site-specific commissions and a rotating exhibition program, THE COLLECTION includes works by Derrick Adams, Hebru Brantley, Candida Alvarez, Carlos Rolón and more.
Financial Times
Financial Times is a vital companion for navigating the ever-changing international landscape of business and society. Thought leaders and cultural connoisseurs alike subscribe to the FT for trusted coverage that inspires, informs, and excites. The FT’s commitment to the arts is solidified through key partnerships such as EXPO Chicago.
Freeman’s | Hindman
Freeman's | Hindman is a premier American auction house offering services in multiple categories including fine art, jewelry, design, books and manuscripts, furniture, decorative arts, antiquities, couture, and Asian works of art. With 16 regional locations nationwide, the firm provides auctions, appraisals, private sales, and art advisory services, connecting clients to the global art market. Freeman’s | Hindman strives to bring art, history, and design to life by connecting people with extraordinary objects through exceptional service and expertise.
Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. With offices across the US, Europe, and Asia, Heritage employs more than 125 internationally recognized specialists in over 50 categories. We assist with everything from fine and decorative arts, books, and manuscripts, to photographs and contemporary art, offering works at every level.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has again partnered with EXPO CHICAGO to present some of the leading voices and work from established and emerging artists at this year's Contemporary Art Fair. As an Official Partner of /Dialogues, dozens of SAIC community members are participating at EXPO as panelists, exhibiting artists and designers, and curators.
The Glenrothes
The Glenrothes, founded in 1879, crafts some of the world's finest single malts in Speyside. Using exceptionally soft water from their private springs, they create whiskies of remarkable delicacy and elegance, embodying expertise, and authenticity.