EXPO CHICAGO 2019 Announces Core Programs

EXPO CHICAGO announced the full participating artist and speaker roster for its core programs taking place during the eighth annual edition (September 19 – 22, 2019). Core programs include the /Dialogues onsite panel program, presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC); Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting, featuring exclusive panels open to VIP guests; IN/SITU, large-scale sculpture, video, film and site-specific works installed within the expansive, vaulted architecture of Navy Pier’s Festival Hall; IN/SITU Outside, temporary public art installations situated along the Lakefront and throughout Chicago neighborhoods; and OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project, which utilizes citywide digital billboards in Chicago’s City Digital Network (CDN) to display a curated selection of contemporary artwork on view from September 9 – 28.

"EXPO CHICAGO hosts one of the world's most critical and engaging platforms for contemporary art and culture within the context of an international art exposition," said EXPO CHICAGO Artistic Director and Editor-in-Chief of THE SEEN Stephanie Cristello. "With programs ranging from panels and discourse, to site-specific art works, to collaborations with major international curators, EXPO CHICAGO is committed to supporting the exhibiting international galleries and their artists,” she added. “These commitments align with our goals to elevate the role of Chicago within the global contemporary art context, as well as provide an access point for curators, collectors, artists and dealers. As the exposition grows, we continue to forge lasting partnerships and foster citywide alignments that solidify September in Chicago on the international art fair calendar.”

/Dialogues

Presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), /Dialogues offers panel discussions, conversations and provocative artistic discourse with leading artists, curators, designers and arts professionals on the current issues that engage them.

Symposium: On Utopia

The 2019 /Dialogues Symposium: On Utopia, gathers scholars and artists through a series of panels, performances and book signings to discuss the various ways in which utopias have remained relevant in a twenty-first century context, fueling discussions within fields of politics, art, architecture and culture. The Symposium will take place on Friday, September 20, and feature prominent artists and scholars such as Emilia Kabakov, Sheikha Hoor Al Qassimi, Jill Snyder, Jan Tichy (SAIC MFA 2009) and Samson Young, among others. Highlights for the Saturday and Sunday /Dialogues program include a panel with Prospect.5 curators Grace Deveney, Naima J. Keith and Diana Nawi moderated by Sarah Thornton; a discussion with artist Charles Atlas in alignment with his new commission for Art on theMART; and a conversation on the cosmos with artists Eduardo Terrazas and Edra Soto (SAIC MFA 2000), moderated by Hans Ulrich Obrist in advance of his book launch for Creative Chicago: An Interview Marathon.

Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting

Located within the Northern Trust Anchor Lounge, Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting features exclusive panels open to invited VIP guests. Highlights of the 2019 program include a conversation between painter and President of the Royal Academy of Arts in London Christopher Le Brun and Director of The J. Paul Getty Trust James Cuno; a panel on private collections featuring collectors and philanthropists Pamela Joyner and Fred Giuffrida and Mac MacLellan from Northern Trust; a case study on diversity, inclusion and accessibility within an institution with moCa Cleveland Executive Director Jill Snyder; and a discussion on collaborative museum models with Miranda Lash of the Speed Art Museum.

IN/SITU

Installed within the expansive, vaulted architecture of Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, IN/SITU features large-scale sculpture, video, film and site-specific works. Jacob Fabricius, Artistic Director at Kunsthal Aarhus and recently appointed Artistic Director of the Busan Biennale, presents a curated selection of work, with pieces by Janine Antoni, Neïl Beloufa, Stine Deja & Marie Munk, Morgan Fisher, Theaster Gates, Lena Henke, Dan Peterman, Scott Reeder, Kay Rosen and more.

PUBLIC ART

Engaging the city’s long legacy of pioneering public art, EXPO CHICAGO presents major initiatives presented in collaboration with the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), the Chicago Park District, and Navy Pier to highlight work by internationally recognized artists beyond Navy Pier. Core off-site programs include IN/SITU Outside, siting works by major contemporary artists throughout Chicago neighborhoods for up to one year, and OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project, which features a curated selection of artworks throughout the citywide digital network.

OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project, September 9 – 29

OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project is a citywide public art initiative, presented by EXPO CHICAGO and the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), displayed throughout Chicago’s City Digital Network (CDN). Placing artwork within this public context and the broader presentation of billboard advertising, OVERRIDE takes its name from industry terminology referring to the continuation of an outdoor advertising program beyond a contracted period. Fully integrated into the language of advertising and local familiar signage, each of the works included within the OVERRIDE program present the opportunity for artists to intercept and push the boundaries of how visual culture is disseminated in our increasingly image-based environment. As a special feature of OVERRIDE, the single vertically oriented screen at 515 W Ida B. Wells Drive will present a self-contained exhibition of the works of Jessica Campbell, Zakkiyyah Najeebah, Summer Wheat, alongside pioneering feminist artist Betty Tompkins. Additional participating artists include Charles Atlas, Shezad Dawood, Stine Deja, Todd Gray, Ayana V. Jackson, Hayv Kahramian, Farrah Karapetian, Tony Lewis, Chris Pappan, Kay Rosen and Chris Ware.

IN/SITU Outside

IN/SITU Outside provides the opportunity for EXPO CHICAGO Exhibitors to present temporary public art installations situated along the Lakefront and throughout Chicago neighborhoods, presented in partnership with the Chicago Park District (CPD), the city of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and Navy Pier.

2019 installations include The Ship of Tolerance (2019) by The Ilya and Emilia Kabakov Foundation, a large-scale installation with accompanying educational programs and performance that connects communities through art and music to address issues surrounding intolerance (located in Polk Bros. Park at Navy Pier); Collages for the Esplanade Apartments (2019) by Assaf Evron, a site-specific installation that treats the Mies van der Rohe building windows with rock formations that harken to Evron’s homeland and reference van der Rohe’s original collaged works on paper (located at 900 N Lake Shore Drive); and Founders Inflatable (2019) by the Floating Museum, a mobile monument whose form is a mix of interpretations of items from the collections of the DuSable Museum of African American History, the Field Museum of Natural History, as well as interpretations of various historical figures (located at Navy Pier).

About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, oncampus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and postbaccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O'Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

About Northern Trust

Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has a global presence with offices in 20 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., and across 23 locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of June 30, 2019, Northern Trust had assets under custody/administration of US$11.3 trillion, and assets under management of US$1.2 trillion. For more than 125 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity and innovation.

About the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors. For more information, visit cityofchicago.org/dcase. About the Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is the steward of more than 8,100 acres of open space, totaling 580 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 10 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, 10 bird and wildlife gardens, thousands of special events, sports and entertaining programs.

About Navy Pier

Located on Lake Michigan, Navy Pier is one of the top-attended nonprofit destinations in the Midwest, stretching more than six city blocks and welcoming more than 9 million guests annually. Originally opened in 1916 as a shipping and recreation facility, this Chicago landmark showcases more than 50 acres of parks, restaurants, attractions, retail shops, sightseeing and dining cruise boats, exposition facilities and more. The Pier recently celebrated its 100th anniversary with the unveiling of the iconic Centennial Wheel, Polk Bros Park, Fifth Third Bank Family Pavilion and Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion. In 2019, Navy Pier continues to usher in its second century with ongoing pier-wide redevelopment efforts – including a 220-room Hilton hotel with rooftop bar, a marina and more – in addition to free, year-round arts and cultural programming designed to inspire, educate and connect communities across the city and globe.

About EXPO CHICAGO

Opening the fall art season each September, EXPO CHICAGO, The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art features leading international galleries alongside one of the highest quality platforms for contemporary art and culture. Hosted within Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, EXPO CHICAGO’s eighth edition will take place September 19 – 22, 2019, in alignment with the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial (September 19, 2019 – January 5, 2020). EXPO CHICAGO presents a diverse program, including /Dialogues (presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago) and Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting, unrivaled talks programs for both public and VIP audiences; IN/SITU, dynamic on-site installations highlighting large-scale sculpture, film, and site-specific work; and major public art initiatives, including IN/SITU Outside, public art installed throughout Chicago Park District locations, and OVERRIDE, a curated selection of international artists throughout the city’s digital billboard network. The EXPO CHICAGO program also features an unprecedented commitment to host curatorial initiatives during the exposition, including the Curatorial Forum in partnership with Independent Curators International (ICI), and the Curatorial Exchange, which partners with foreign agencies and consulates to expand the exposition’s global reach. EXPO CHICAGO is the publisher of THE SEEN, Chicago’s only international journal of contemporary and modern art criticism, online and in print. EXPO CHICAGO is presented by Art Expositions, LLC. Under the leadership of President and Director Tony Karman, EXPO CHICAGO draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while highlighting the region’s contemporary arts community and inspiring its collector base.