EXPO CHICAGO Announces Artists for 2018 Edition of OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project

EXPO CHICAGO, The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art (September 27– 30, 2018), announces the full list of international artists featured in the third annual program for OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project, curated by the exposition’s Director of Programming Stephanie Cristello, Exhibitor Relations & Programming Coordinator Alexis Brocchi and Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Program Director Daniel Schulman. Aligning with the seventh exposition, this significant citywide public art initiative, on view September 17 – October 7, 2018, will feature the work of 12 artists represented by major local, national and international galleries exhibiting at the exposition displayed throughout Chicago’s City Digital Network (CDN) of citywide billboards.  

“The curatorial framework of the 2018 program interrogates various contemporary thematics that employ a hand-made gesture—from signs of protest, to texts, archives and modes of representation,” said EXPO CHICAGO Director of Programming Stephanie Cristello. “Commissioned exclusively for this year, Theaster Gates’ sourcing of the Johnson Publishing Company image archives reveals the unique viewing experience of OVERRIDE, as his Black Madonna series is both embedded within, and critically engaged with, the advertising language the works adopt.”  

Spanning works from 1972 to the present, the program provides leading international artists represented by EXPO CHICAGO 2018 Exhibitors an innovative opportunity to push the boundaries of how visual culture is disseminated in our everyday environment and experiences. Entitled Interlude at Hand, the works curated into the 2018 exhibition program will feature works that speak to a variety of themes that rely on handmade gestures—such as the act of writing, the collection of archives or the creation of signs of protest.  

For the full Curatorial Statement click here.  

As part of a dedicated site-specific installation series, Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates will display his latest series Black Madonna (2018) exclusively on the billboard located at 515 W. Ida B. Wells Dr. (the recently renamed Congress Pkwy.). Running continuously on this single screen, the series interrogates and delves into the Johnson Publishing Archives, a collection of more than 15,000 items donated to Rebuild Foundation by Johnson Publishing Company including books, periodicals, ephemera, paintings and sculpture. The piece exposes and adopts the unique platform that the OVERRIDE program offers as a site both embedded in and critically engaged with the advertising language it adopts.  

“Images pervading the city, inviting us to look at something other than a cell phone advertisement are so important,” said artist Theaster Gates. “Images that question and affirm who we are as we walk and bike and drive. The Billboard, adopted by artists like Martine Syms and Hank Willis Thomas, are a necessary intervention in our cities.”

Unfolding at various points within the urban landscape, the OVERRIDE program builds upon the City of Chicago and DCASE’s longstanding commitment to public art, and provides EXPO CHICAGO a key platform to showcase works by leading international artists beyond Navy Pier.  

2018 OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project  

Participating Artists:  

John Bankston | Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco  

Olaf Breuning | Carbon 12, Dubai  

Brian Calvin | Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago  

Judy Chicago | Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco and Salon94, New York  

Douglas Coupland | Daniel Faria Gallery, Toronto  

Sam Durant | Praz-Delavallade, Paris, Los Angeles  

Paul Heyer | Night Gallery, Los Angeles  

Glenn Ligon | Luhring Augustine, New York, Brooklyn  

Portia Munson | P.P.O.W, New York  

Anahita Razmi | Carbon 12, Dubai  

Lee Wan | 313 Art Project, Seoul  

Amanda Williams and Andres L. Hernandez | Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago  

Theaster Gates | Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago, New York  

For a full list of titles, descriptions and images click here.  

“OVERRIDE provides an opportunity for renowned artists to take over our billboards and highlight some of the most diverse and dynamic digital artwork across the city,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Public art is weaved into Chicago’s cultural fabric, and we are proud to celebrate the creativity and culture that continues to inspire us”.

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 EXPO CHICAGO    

EXPO CHICAGO 2018, The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, is presented by Art Expositions, LLC at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, hosting more than 135 leading International exhibitors presented alongside one of the highest quality platforms for global contemporary art and culture. Entering its seventh year as a leading international art fair, EXPO CHICAGO offers diverse programming including /Dialogues, IN/SITU, IN/SITU Outside, EXPO VIDEO, the Curatorial Forum, the Art Critics Forum, EXPO Sound and OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project. In addition, EXPO CHICAGO continues to publish THE SEEN, Chicago's International Journal of Contemporary & Modern Art. 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.  

The seventh edition will align with Art Design Chicago, and together with the Chicago Humanities Festival, Navy Pier and the Terra Foundation for American Art, will present the first-ever Hans Ulrich Obrist Marathon in the United States on Saturday, September 29.  

Vernissage, the opening night preview benefiting the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, takes place Thursday, September 27, 6 – 9 p.m. General Admission to the exposition is Thursday, September. 27 – Sunday, September 30 (for hours please visit expochicago.com). Tickets to the exposition are on sale now. Northern Trust is the Presenting Sponsor of EXPO CHICAGO. For more information about EXPO CHICAGO and EXPO ART WEEK (Monday, Sept. 24 – Sunday, Sept. 30), visit expochicago.com.