The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art will mark its 10th Anniversary with its return to Chicago’s Navy Pier on Thursday, April 13th. Art collectors and lovers will be treated to art collections from 170 galleries spanning across 90 cities and 38 countries! The EXPO will bring the work of more than 3,000 artists to our city.
Drawing upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while highlighting the region’s contemporary arts community, the EXPO will take the art enthusiast on a journey through the heart, eyes, mind, and spirit of artists from around the globe. Their work will inspire, uplift, challenge, provoke thought and, at times, draw unexpected emotion from the viewer. Art can be the catalyst to draw virtual strangers into unexpected conversations that would not have happened otherwise.
EXPO Art Week is April 10–16 and will feature several partner experiences throughout the city. These include film screenings at The Gene Siskel Film Center beginning April 12th. The films presented will profile three contemporary artists, illustrating how their identities and experiences are inextricably linked to their work and their perspectives on the art world. The Melt Goes On Forever-The Art & Times of David Hammons features the artistry of David Hammons from Springfield, Illinois whose work has garnered international accolades for the utilization of 'found' objects in the creation of genre-defying and inventive works. Hammons is an African American artist known to be a rule-breaker whose work is an awe-inspiring commentary on race in America. You Can Go Now, examines the extraordinary life & art of contemporary artist, Richard Bell, a self-proclaimed “activist masquerading as an artist,” And returning to the Center the winner of the voted best Film Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, a portrait of renowned artist Nan Goldin. The film depicts her fierce fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the opioid crises, told through her groundbreaking photography and slideshows. For information on these screenings, visit siskelfilmcenter.org.
The official kick-off to EXPO Art Week begins Tuesday, April 11th with an evening of openings, exhibitions, and performances on Chicago’s vibrant South Side. These will include the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) where the work of Chicago based artists Roland Knowlden, Andrea L. Hernandez, and Tonika Lewis Johnson will be featured in its latest exhibition titled “where the light corrupts your face.” This exhibit explores the social, cultural, and racial implications of built spaces and natural environments. Encompassing elements of drawing, painting, collage, installation and architecture, artists examine the possibilities of new spatial realities and speculative futures. Extended hours for this event are 4:00 - 7:00pm. Diaspora Stories: Selections from The CCH Pounder Collection at the DuSable Black History Museum & Education Center. Featuring the works of Mickalene Thomas, Kehinde Wiley and more, the CCH Pounder Collection is an ongoing, living narrative of ancestral memory and cultural tethers that connects African Americans to the Black Diaspora. Extended hours for this event will be 4:00-9:00pm.
At 5:00pm, The Study at the University of Chicago, 1227 E. 60th Street, will host an official toast to kick-off EXPO Art Week before exploring South Side exhibitions and special programs. Return to Truth Be Told off the lobby of The Study throughout the week (April 11-16) and receive a buy-one get-one cocktail, beer or wine by the glass with a valid EXPO ticket or VIP pass.
EXPO ART WEEK offers more than I can write about in this article. Visit EXPOCHICAGO.TIX123.com for tickets and all the information on this fabulous event!