Expo Chicago on now

Expo Chicago is open through Sunday, April 12, at Navy Pier, where a slimmer 2026 edition is betting on curation over sheer size. (expochicago.com) The fair runs April 9 to 12 in Festival Hall with more than 130 galleries, down from roughly 170 last year, under new director Kate Sierzputowski and curator Essence Harden. (expochicago.com) That reset is visible on the floor plan: organizers cut the exhibitor count by nearly 25 percent and framed the change as a “more focused, intentionally scaled format.” (artnews.com) Expo is also using the weekend to tie the fair more tightly to Chicago institutions. A new partnership with the Obama Presidential Center adds two fair programs curated by museum director Louise Bernard ahead of the center’s public opening in June. (press.frieze.com) Across the city, Expo Art Week extends from April 7 to 12 with exhibitions and events in neighborhoods beyond Navy Pier. Choose Chicago’s guide pitches the fair and the surrounding museum and gallery calendar as a single citywide draw. (choosechicago.com) Inside the fair, the curated sections carry more weight than before. Focus, organized by Detroit Institute of Arts curator Katie A. Pfohl, centers on landscape, migration, and craft, while Profile presents solo booths and tightly framed projects selected by Harden. (expochicago.com) One of the talked-about Focus presentations is Sarah Nsikak’s booth with Sibyl Gallery. The Brooklyn-based textile artist is showing a new installation titled “How could you hold it?” from April 9 to 12. (sibylgallery.com) Expo’s international pitch remains central even with fewer booths. Organizers say the fair includes galleries from more than 30 cities across 15 countries, and it continues a partnership with the Galleries Association of Korea that brings 12 Korean galleries into the main section. (choosechicago.com; press.frieze.com) The business side appears solid so far. ARTnews reported dealers describing brisk sales during the VIP preview, and Observer said museums including the Denver Art Museum and the Detroit Institute of Arts were among early buyers. (artnews.com; observer.com) Expo Chicago began in 2012 as a successor to Art Chicago, and this is its third edition since Frieze acquired the fair in 2023. The 2026 test is whether a smaller fair with stronger local ties can keep Navy Pier busy through closing day on April 12. (chicago.suntimes.com; artnews.com)