EXPO CHICAGO 2026 Announces Curated Fair Format with 130+ Galleries
EXPO CHICAGO will hold its 2026 edition from April 9 to 12 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall in Chicago. Under the leadership of Director Kate Sierzputowski and Curator Essence Harden, the fair introduces a more focused presentation format featuring over 130 galleries from various regions. The event emphasizes curated sections like Focus for emerging galleries and Profile for concentrated exhibitions, aiming to foster deeper engagement with artworks. Notable institutional collaborations are highlighted as part of the fair's enhanced curatorial ambitions. Several galleries will present significant artist pairings: GRAY showcases Theaster Gates and Leon Polk Smith; moniquemeloche features Ebony G. Patterson and Sanford Biggers; Karma presents Reggie Burrows Hodges and Alex Da Corte; Jessica Silverman exhibits Woody De Othello and Davina Semo; Nara Roesler includes Tomie Ohtake and Vik Muniz; 47 Canal displays Nikita Gale's installation; and Good Weather highlights Yvette Mayorga and Brendan Fernandes. The fair serves as a key cultural gathering for the Midwest, connecting artists, collectors, and institutions through intentionally scaled exhibitions.
Key facts
- EXPO CHICAGO 2026 runs from April 9 to 12, 2026
- The event takes place at Navy Pier's Festival Hall in Chicago
- Over 130 galleries from around the world will participate
- Director Kate Sierzputowski and Curator Essence Harden lead the fair
- Sections include Focus for emerging galleries and Profile for focused presentations
- The fair emphasizes institutional collaborations and curated formats
- Notable artist pairings are featured across multiple gallery booths
- A VIP preview is scheduled for April 9
Entities
Artists
- Theaster Gates
- Leon Polk Smith
- Ebony G. Patterson
- Sanford Biggers
- Reggie Burrows Hodges
- Alex Da Corte
- Woody De Othello
- Davina Semo
- Tomie Ohtake
- Vik Muniz
- Nikita Gale
- Yvette Mayorga
- Brendan Fernandes
- Kate Sierzputowski
- Essence Harden
- David Shrobe
- Robert Chase Heishman
- Lavar Munroe
- Candida Alvarez
- David Antonio Cruz
- Louise Bernard
- Dawoud Bey
- Timothy Huffman
- Ira Sims
- Katie Pfohl
- Justin Liam O'Brien
- Lauren Marinaro
- Maria Szakats
- Kate Zimmerman Turpin
- Matheus Yehudi
- Daniel de Paula
- Sofia Pappi
- Tony Karman
- Lauren Kelly
Institutions
- EXPO CHICAGO
- GRAY
- moniquemeloche
- Karma
- Jessica Silverman
- Nara Roesler
- 47 Canal
- Good Weather
- Expo Chicago
- Navy Pier
- Hammer Museum
- Made in LA
- Frieze Los Angeles
- Geary Contemporary
- Mindy Solomon Gallery
- Adegbola Gallery
- Affinity Gallery
- Soto Gallery
- Yenwa Gallery
- Gray
- McCormick Gallery
- Document
- Patron
- Secrist Beach
- Les Enluminures
- Galería Artizar
- Ebony Curated
- Gallery Momo
- Wizard Gallery
- Galleries Association of Korea
- Magenta Plains
- Bockley Gallery
- Weinstein Hammons Gallery
- Matéria
- Buffalo Prescott
- What Pipeline
- Monique Meloche Gallery
- Venice Biennale
- Buffalo AKG Art Museum
- Obama Presidential Center
- Sean Kelly
- Detroit Institute of Arts
- Marinaro
- Megan Mulrooney
- Yehudi Hollander-Pappi
- School of the Art Institute
- The Art Newspaper
Locations
- Chicago
- Navy Pier Festival Hall
- United States
- Navy Pier
- Festival Hall
- Manhattan
- New York
- Miami
- Florida
- Lagos
- Nigeria
- Lisbon
- Portugal
- Paris
- France
- Spain
- South Africa
- Italy
- Korea
- Minneapolis
- Minnesota
- Detroit
- Michigan
- South Side
- Los Angeles
- California
- San Francisco Bay
- Texas
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Netherlands
- Bahamas
- Mississippi River Basin