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Now in its 10th year as a leading international art fair, EXPO CHICAGO returns to Navy Pier with an exciting roster of exhibitors, programs, installations, speakers, and more. The event, which takes place April 13 – 16, 2023, will welcome more than 170 leading galleries representing 36 countries from around the world to Chicago.

Explore EXPO CHICAGO tickets

EXPO CHICAGO celebrates contemporary and modern art with a diverse schedule of cultural programming and contemporary art installations. This year’s main event will take place in Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, with additional programs and events throughout Chicago during EXPO ART WEEK from April 10 – 16, 2023. 

EXPO CHICAGO exhibitors

One of EXPO CHICAGO’s main events is the exhibitor showcase, which will include Galleries, showcasing leading international exhibitors; EXPOSURE, featuring solo and two-artist exhibitors from new and emerging galleries; and PROFILE, presenting solo booths and projects that showcase ambitious and thematic installations.

Visitors can explore print media and object-based practices in Editions + Books, which includes a cross-section of both established and emerging artists. And the Special Exhibitions section puts a spotlight on projects by non-profit museums and arts organizations, representing regional, national, and international groups.

This year’s exhibitors come to Chicago from more than 90 cities in Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Ghana, Iran, Lithuania, Mexico, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, and beyond.

Notable new exhibitors include Casas Riegner from Bogotá, Micki Meng from San Francisco, Galerie Christian Lethert from Cologne, Galerie Poggi from Paris, Isla Flotante from Buenos Aires, kó from Lagos, and Southern Guild from Cape Town. Explore the full list of participating galleries for EXPO CHICAGO 2023.

EXPO ART WEEK

Chicago is an internationally recognized art and design hub, home to some of the world’s leading art museums, a thriving gallery scene, and an array of iconic public art. EXPO ART WEEK highlights Chicago’s vast cultural contributions, drawing upon the city’s most prestigious arts institutions to offer programming, exhibits, gallery openings, and more.

This year’s EXPO ART WEEK will run from April 10 – 16, 2023. Check back for more details.

EXPO CHICAGO programs

Each year, EXPO CHICAGO presents a full schedule of thought-provoking discussions, installations, and exciting activations. This year’s core programs and events include:

IN/SITU, with dynamic large-scale sculpture and site-specific works installed within Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. This year’s program is being curated by Claudia Segura of Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona.
IN/SITU Outside includes inventive outdoor sculptures and installations, to celebrate the city’s long legacy of pioneering public art.
 /Dialogues, a series of provocative on-site conversations with leading curators, artists, and designers.
OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project, a public art initiative that uses digital billboards across the city to display contemporary works by emerging and established artists from Chicago and around the world.

EXPO will also present keynote speakers as part of its Directors Summit, a multi-day series of conversations on the future of museum leadership and institutional reinvention. The Directors Summit will take place alongside the exposition’s Curatorial Forum, the country’s leading meeting of curators.

Tickets for EXPO CHICAGO 2023 are on sale now. Choose from general admission single-day and three-day passes, or get exclusive early access with Thursday’s Opening Night Ticket. Guided tours led by museum educators and other arts professionals are also available for purchase.

This article was originally published in the 2023 Chicago Visitors Guide.

When Shermann “Dilla” Thomas started a TikTok account in 2020, he began posting videos of his family and stories about one of his favorite topics — the history of Chicago. Just two years later, Dilla has become known as the city’s unofficial urban historian, sharing fascinating facts about “the greatest city on earth” to more than 100,000 followers as @6figga_dilla.

“It’s one thing to see a picture or see a name on a street sign or a building, but it’s not personal,” says Dilla. “Telling the story of how that thing or that person came to be or came to prominence, I think hearing those stories keeps history relevant.”

The success of his videos led Dilla to launch Chicago Mahogany Tours, a series of neighborhood bus tours that immerse visitors and locals in the rich history of the city’s south and west sides.

“I’m of the belief that if you know the history of the place, you can’t help but respect it,” says Dilla. “History can adjust your perspective. And so many things can be accomplished if you’re moving with the correct perspective.”

We asked Dilla to share some of his favorite Chicago spots, from little-known historical sites to can’t-miss neighborhood history.

Best spots for nature lovers

In Chinatown, there’s Ping Tom Park. The architect, Ernie Wong, is a Chicagoan of Asian ancestry. I love that he understands both cultures, and you can see that and feel that there. The two marry each other.

You gotta go to Auburn Park in Auburn Gresham. It has an original lagoon from the 1800s.

I’m also a very big fan of Maggie Daley Park. I like that it preserves the downtown lakefront while also honoring a really cool Chicagoan. And my kids love it.

Best under-the-radar pieces of Chicago history

National Museum Of Puerto Rican Arts; photo by Abel Arciniega :: @tequilagraphics

There’s The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture in Humboldt Park. It’s a great example of preservation — the building was formerly a horse stable designed by a famous architect. Now it’s being used in a thriving Puerto Rican neighborhood, honoring Puerto Rican history.

I also tell people to go to the Victory Monument on 35th and King Drive in Bronzeville. It honors the Black World War I veterans.

And you gotta go to the Union Stock Yard Gate. Chicago was formerly the largest meatpacking source in the country, and the gate is now a National Historic Landmark.

Best restaurants for food with a side of history

I would say Valois in Hyde Park. You watch them make your food behind the counter. It’s been around for 100 years — and anybody that’s had any kind of political power in the city of Chicago in the last 100 years has eaten there.

And you should go to La Luna in Pilsen, at 18th and Racine. It’s Mexican cuisine and serves probably the best taco in the city. There’s a hidden gem a few blocks away at Benito Juarez High School, where there are life-size sculptures of all the leaders of Mexico from throughout history.

Best places to catch a show

Buddy Guys

I like Metro. The terracotta on the exterior is amazing. It’s a repurposed building, so it preserves history while allowing us to enjoy the present.

Reggies in the South Loop is awesome. I love its proximity to Chess Records and the old Chicago blues scene.

And we gotta add Buddy Guy’s Legends. It’s owned by Buddy Guy, who does a residency there every January. Where else can you walk in and literally see a living blues legend and icon?

Best neighborhoods for history buffs

Monument to the Great Migration

Bronzeville, for sure. Black History Month as a concept comes from Bronzeville, along with gospel music, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and the Harlem Globetrotters who integrated basketball, to name just a few.

There’s also the Pullman neighborhood. President Barack Obama designated Pullman as a National Monument, but the Pullman neighborhood has been making history since the late 1800s. It’s because of the Pullman railcar strike that we have Labor Day as a holiday. And the architecture and infrastructure of Pullman are original to the neighborhood.

And I wish more people went to North Lawndale. It’s home to a rich Jewish history, the original Sears Tower, and has ties to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Make sure to take a Chicago Mahogany Tour to see all of these awesome neighborhoods I’m talking about.