On April 24 in Chicago, the much-anticipated 2025 edition of Expo Chicago descends upon the iconic Navy Pier and its Festive Hall, on view through April 27. Alongside presenting sponsor Northern Trust, the distinguished art presentation offers over 170 premier gallery shows hailing from 36 countries throughout the world. Fully embracing a vital, cross-cultural dialogue, Expo Chicago collaborates with the Galleries Association of Korea, as well as debuts the new fair platform titled CONTRAST, led by Lauren Haynes, Head Curator of Governors Island Arts and Vice President for Arts and Culture at the Trust for Governors Island. Spirited programming abounds within this year’s fair iteration, including a Curatorial Exchange, Directors Summit, IN/SITU installations, and much more.
New Initiatives and Collaborative Projects at Expo Chicago
Expo Chicago 2024 Fair Images, Photo by Evan Jenkins, Courtesy EXPO CHICAGO.
“As we enter the second year of EXPO CHICAGO as part of Frieze, we are proud to expand on new initiatives, including a significant collaboration with the Galleries Association of Korea, made possible through Frieze’s global reach,” said Kristell Chadé, Executive Director of Fairs at Frieze. “We look forward to presenting a dynamic selection of artists and exhibitors, while exploring how the cross-pollination between our fairs can add value to each, fostering new connections and opportunities across regions.”
“We look forward to presenting a dynamic selection of artists and exhibitors,”
Kristell Chadé
Fairgoers can expect to embark upon Expo Chicago’s main section, titled Galleries, in addition to a myriad of experiential projects like the EXPOSURE, PROFILE, and IN/SITU categories. Freshly realized Special Exhibitions and the Editions + Books platform will beguile and educate all ages. Skilfully Curated by Haynes, CONTRAST unveils bold artistic explorations from GRAY, Jenkins Johnson Gallery, The Melrose Gallery, and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery. EXPOSURE is helmed by Rosario Güiraldes, Curator of Visual Arts at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, with a tender concentration on Latin American galleries. Meanwhile, IN/SITU, deftly curated by Jessica S. Hong, Chief Curator at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, MO, gifts sweeping, bespoke works championing tradition and collaboration.
A Robust Partnership with the Galleries Association of Korea Debuts in Chicago
Eunjin Kim, “Locations of God_Hordes of People,”
2025, Acrylic, mother of pearl, wood panel, 105 × 183 × 5 cm; Courtesy of the artist and Keumsan Gallery.
In partnership with the illustrious Galleries Association of Korea (Gaok), 20 esteemed Korean galleries will present within the Galleries category. Here, the bounties of Kiaf SEOUL and Frieze Seoul unite alongside the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Arts Management Service. Showcases by Gallery Baton, BHAK, Gana Art, Keumsan Gallery, Sun Gallery, ONE AND J. Gallery, PYO Gallery, 313 Art Project, and more will inspire art collectors from across the globe.
“We plan to support 20 major galleries in Korea to enter the Chicago art market on behalf of the association and Korea in various ways together with the government,” said Hwang Dalseung, President of the Galleries Association of Korea. “This event was based on the synergy between Kiaf SEOUL and Frieze Seoul, which have already created a new model of win-win through fair-to-fair collaboration in the contemporary art market, where various entities are collaborating in various ways, and this time we will take the first step towards the internationalization of Korean art distribution with EXPO CHICAGO.”
“This event was based on the synergy between Kiaf SEOUL and Frieze Seoul,”
Hwang Dalseung
Placed in conversation with gems of the Korean landscape will be leading art spaces making their debut at the fair. Must-see exhibitions will unfold from Lehmann Maupin, Gratin, OCHI, Alberta Pane, Two Palms, ILY2, april april, Mitre, and Megan Mulrooney.
Expo Chicago 2025 Gallery Highlights
LEE & BAE
Jinwook Yeom, “Memory of mountain,” 2024, 97.6 x 162.2 cm, oil on canvas; Courtesy of the artist and LEE & BAE.
The revelatory, Busan-based art gallery LEE & BAE brings artist Jinwook Yeom’s imaginative and hypnotic universe to Expo Chicago. Memory of mountain (2024) is a captivating work of oil on canvas which invokes both the authority and serenity of Mother Nature through a trance-inducing palette of vibrant blues, greens, and earth tones.
193 Gallery
SESSE ELANGWE, “Our reality,” 2024, Acrylic on canvas, 91.4 x 137.2 cm, 36 x 54 in; Courtesy of the artist and 193 Gallery.
A solo show by masterful artist Sesse Elangwe will fully engage art aficionados at this year’s fair. With 193 Gallery, the self-taught painter collages deeply felt personal memories with profound socio-political explorations. Graciously interweaving surrealism, pop art, and realism, enhanced by visually arresting colorways, Elangwe meditates wholeheartedly on Black identity.
Mariane Ibrahim
Max Lamb, Glulam Armchair + Glulam Coffee Table, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Gallery FUMI.
The admired Mariane Ibrahim raises the curtain on a singular project titled “Ad Libitum” at Expo Chicago 2025. Here, realms of improvisation and materiality are placed front and center, and Nigerian painter Peter Uka shines beside Mexico City-based photographer Darryl Richardson and London’s Gallery FUMI. Under the heading of “at one’s pleasure,” this presentation brings together a devotion to fine art and craftsmanship—and treasures global friendship.
Expo Chicago 2024 Fair Images, Photo by Evan Jenkins, Courtesy EXPO CHICAGO.
