The VIP opening of the 12th edition of Expo Chicago took place on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. after a brunch from the fair and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's Women's Board was held. The opening time was later than usual for art fairs, but the number of visitors rose steadily all day. The visitors included prominent collectors such as Anita Blanchard, Martin Nesbitt, Lisa Goodman, Josef Vascovitz, Alec Litowitz and Jennifer Litowitz.
The President of Expo Chicago, Tony Karman, expressed optimistic about the enthusiasm, the collectors for the acquisition and discussion of works of art. The concerns regarding the tariffs of the Trump era and the visa restrictions had no significant influence on the fair, and only a few exhibitors withdrew for reasons that had not dealt with trade barriers.
Despite a stable number of exhibitors around 170, there was a decline in the blue-chip galleries. Expo Chicago has teamed up with the Galeries Association of Korea to bring South Korean galleries into the fair. A slowdown on the art market, with the galleries were more selective due to rising costs to participate in trade fairs.
Expo Chicago stood up to win curators and museum directors with a committed professional program. Several galleries reported sales at institutions on the opening day and showed the strength of the exhibited work. The fair also facilitated the museum's acquisitions via the Northern Trust purchase price program.
Several galleries had success with sales at institutions and private collectors. The remarkable acquisitions included works by the artists Manuel López, Wangari Mathenge, Wallace Pato, Soo Shin, Lilian Martinez and Winnie Truong. The fair showed some of the best stands on the navy pier, including rivalry projects and committed projects.
Ryan Patrick Krueger and Jen Everett presented rivalry projects in the exposure department. Krueger's collages examined queer pictures, while Everett combined pictures of her parents with photos and legacy technologies found. The sculptural pieces and installations of the local artist Edra Soto presented Puertorican architectural motifs in committed projects.
Overall, the 2025 edition of Expo Chicago offered a variety of works of art and experiences for the participants. Soto's work focuses on exploring everyday objects and motifs that often occur in Puerto Rico, such as:
At Walter Maciel Gallery, the installation of Nathan Vincent with the title Licht Room offers a crocheted changing room with elements such as benches, municipal showers and shower processes, which highlights the tension between socially conditioned gender rooms and creative efforts.
The sculptures of Vy Trịnh in Galerie Quynh in Hochi -Minh -city use materials that are considered typical Vietnamese, such as parts of a Honda dream motorcycle, electrical wire and Seidenorganza, which are about the developing economies and ecologies of the country.
In Verve, Nádia Taary and Lita Cerqueiras showed the work of two Afro-Brazilian artists, whereby Cerqueira's photographs in Salvador and Taquaries mixed media sculptures of the mixed media sculptures of Orishas from the Yoruba religion.
Kristine Mandsberg's colorful sculptures at Galerie Robertson Arès have PVC box and foam pieces that are decorated with nylon focal fiber and remind tactile textures and abstract forms that are reminiscent of hugeted calands work.
Cal Lane's Plasma-Cut Steel Sculptures Are on Display at C24, Showcasing the Hudson Valley-Based Artist's Unique Approach to Transforming Metal Intro and Delicate Artworks. When Lane grew up on Vancouver Island, she spent a lot of time in her mother's hairdressing salon and worked there for a while. She was fascinated by the expressions of femininity and beauty that she watched there; At the same time, she was also interested in wearing masculine clothing. This tension between the masculine and feminine can be found in her sculptures of different steel panties, as it translated the delicate tip into hard -forged metal. It is a fascinating combination. On a base in a corner of the stand is Pantie Chain (2018), a chain made of weathered metal panties that flow down. Lane has also exhibited two pieces that consist of found ammunition boxes, which she added artistic floral elements and views of cuddly babies and birds. The destructive past of these objects is now alleviated by the idyllic scenes that they have created on it.