With EXPO CHICAGO (April 13-16) as the centerpiece, EXPO ART WEEK (April 10-16) opened the world to
Chicago’s vibrant art scene with featured aligned events, openings and discussions across the city.
The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Arts (EXPO CHICAGO) held in Navy Pier,
Chicago, is one of the most significant events in the contemporary art world. The exposition to host 170
of the world’s leading galleries alongside a citywide curation of events and programs April 13-16,
showcasing a wide range of contemporary and modern art forms, including painting, sculpture,
photography, and digital media, from some of the most renowned artists from around the world to
commemorate the 10 th year anniversary of the exposition, the organizers have planned a week-long art
program that promises to be one of the most exciting and diverse events in the history of the exposition.
The week-long program will include exhibitions, performances, lectures, and workshops, featuring some
of the most prominent and innovative contemporary artists of our time, with a fair that features 170
exhibitors with special sectors curated by Claudia Segura of the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona
and Aimé Iglesias Lukin of the Americas Society in New York.
The EXPO CHICAGO 2023 Selection Committee was comprised of the following leading gallerists: John Corbett and Jim Dempsey | Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago; Kavi Gupta | Kavi Gupta, Chicago; Leslie Hammons | Weinstein Hammons Gallery, Minneapolis; Rhona Hoffman | Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago; Miles McEnery | Miles McEnery Gallery, New York; Nick Olney | Kasmin, New York; Lauren Wittels | Luhring Augustine, New York. With the advisement of the Selection Committee, Aimé Iglesias Lukin | Director and Chief Curator of Visual Arts at Americas Society in New York, will be curator of the EXPOSURE section —highlighting solo and two-artist presentations of emerging work from galleries ten years and younger.
Attending this exhibition are three prominent gallery in Africa; Gallery 1957, EBONY/CURATED, and Southern Guild.
Gallery 1957, Accra, London
Launched by Marwan Zakhem on Ghana Independence Day, 2016, Gallery 1957 has since expanded across three gallery spaces within Accra, dedicating its programme to spearheading international exchanges between contemporary West African art practices and the rest of the world. Gallery 1957’s London space opened in October 2020 and provides a further platform through which to exhibit Gallery 1957 artists working across Africa and the diaspora.
Presenting a programme of exhibitions, installations and performances by the region’s most significant artists, Gallery 1957 bridges the gap between local and international audiences. Beyond its roster of diverse artists and exhibitions, global gallery partnerships and the establishment of the artist residency programme have welcomed many international artists and arts professionals to Ghana, encouraging them to engage further with the country’s rich contemporary art scene.
Gallery 1957’s work expands beyond the gallery walls through a public programme that includes fairs, talks, off-site projects and site-specific installations commissions as well as the publication of books and catalogues – continuously supporting cultural initiatives in Ghana, and beyond.
In 2021, Gallery 1957 launched the Yaa Asantewaa Art Prize, the first ever dedicated art prize for women artists living and working in Africa. It aims to further strengthen our commitment to supporting and promoting emerging and established artists across Ghana and the diaspora.
EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, Franschhoek
Established in 2007, EBONY/CURATED is a leading South African Gallery based in Cape Town and Franschhoek. The gallery has built a solid reputation for unlocking exciting talent from the continent and the greater African Diaspora. It’s well established public programme extends across 3 spaces highlighting both contemporary and notable modern artworks. EBONY/CURATED regularly participates in local and international art fairs and gallery artists are included in recognised public and private collections.
Southern Guild, Cape Town
Founded in 2008, Southern Guild has pioneered the functional art and collectible design category on the African continent, propelling its artists and designers to make globally relevant, original work. The gallery’s rigorous curatorial programme has shaped the world’s perceptions of African design, forging a unique vernacular with strong narrative and substance. As the gallery evolved, its remit broadened to encompass contemporary fine art, with a focus on emerging perspectives and unconventional techniques by artists from across Africa.
The gallery works closely with its artists and designers to produce new work characterised by unprecedented modes of making, cross-disciplinary collaborations, contemporary craft, sustainability within luxury and the role of design for social impact. Southern Guild is unique on the continent both for its hands-on involvement in facilitating production and its interest in the intersection of art and design.
A very important aspect of the work undertaken by the gallery – through its collaborations with eminent global institutions, foundations and museums – is to contribute to our deeper understanding of humanitarian, environmental and societal concerns with targeted projects, large-scale installations and immersive experiences. The artists represented explore personal narratives, cultural structures and social change.
The first African gallery to present at Design Miami (2011) and at Christie’s London’s annual design auction (2015), Southern Guild shows regularly at Design Miami in the US and Basel, and has participated in PAD London, The Salon Art & Design and Collective in New York, and at Design Days Dubai.
Works by Southern Guild artists have been acquired by leading private collections, foundations and institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne), Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein), Denver Art Museum, Mint Museum (Charlotte) Philadelphia Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Pérez Museum (Miami) and the LOEWE Foundation (Spain).
