Expo Chicago rolls through Navy Pier

Expo Chicago is at Navy Pier through Sunday, with the 2026 fair bringing more than 130 galleries into Festival Hall for its 13th edition. (navypier.org) The fair runs April 9 through April 12 at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, and Expo Chicago says the 2026 edition is led by director Kate Sierzputowski and curator Essence Harden. (expochicago.com) Expo Chicago’s organizer says this year’s lineup was intentionally reduced from the roughly 170 exhibitors seen in recent years to a field of more than 130 galleries. The Art Newspaper reported that the smaller roster is the first under Sierzputowski after Frieze acquired the fair in 2023. (theartnewspaper.com) That shift changes the pitch of the fair from scale to selection. Expo Chicago says the 2026 format is meant to create a “more focused” floor plan and give more room to curated sections, talks and installations. (expochicago.com) Chicago remains central to the event even as the exhibitor list stays international. Expo Chicago’s January announcement highlighted local galleries including Gray, moniquemeloche, Patron, Document and Corbett vs. Dempsey alongside galleries from South Korea, Nigeria, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and Argentina. (expochicago.com; theartnewspaper.com) One of the fair’s most visible curatorial sections is Focus, a section for galleries 12 years old or younger. Expo Chicago says the 2026 edition, titled “Gathering of Waters,” was curated by Detroit Institute of Arts curator Katie A. Pfohl around landscape, migration and care. (navypier.org; expochicago.com) Sarah Nsikak’s work is part of that Focus section. Sibyl Gallery says it brought Nsikak’s installation “How could you hold it?” to Expo Chicago with new textile works by the Brooklyn-based artist. (sibylgallery.com) The fair is also using institutional partnerships to widen its reach beyond gallery booths. Navy Pier and Expo Chicago say the 2026 program includes “Embodiment,” curated by Obama Presidential Center Museum director Louise Bernard, ahead of the center’s anticipated 2026 opening. (navypier.org; chicagogallerynews.com) Expo Chicago has now spent more than a decade trying to anchor Chicago’s place on the spring art-market calendar. On Sunday, the fair closes at 6 p.m., ending four days of sales, talks and curated displays on the lakefront. (navypier.org; expochicago.com)