EXPO CHICAGO

Apr 8

A selection of works from the ninth edition of The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art.

Right now is taking place the ninth edition of EXPO CHICAGO, which has brought together incredible galleries, artists, and works from 25 different countries for us to see, enjoy and -if we’re lucky- buy.

This year’s edition has a massive variety of mediums and themes, as well as established and emerging artists, which always makes everything a little bit more interesting -we always applaud the diversity-. Also, the vibrant colors along the booths and the amount of public that attended give a sense of hope after two years of the pandemic.

In the cover photo, we see the work by Carlos Nicanor Tiempo de Espera (2022), in which the painting seems to want to escape the frame, almost like it is eager to come to life and be a part of the art fair, after two years of silence.

What I’ve always loved about Liliane Tomasko’s work is the way she expresses everything with her signature hues. Her palette gathers a whirlwind of color that fuses, reaching a point where we can’t tell where the color starts and where the other ends. In this work, all that we want (2021), Tomasko hooks us with those thick black lines, letting the other pigments shine through them.

Free Your Mind (2022) by Arjen is one of the works that immediately caught my attention. If I’m being honest, there’s not a piece by him I don’t like. Whenever I look at one of his works, the word that always comes to mind is fun. It is honestly such a fun ride. The surrealism in each scene, the crazy compositions, the colors, everything makes you want to keep looking.

From one cartoon-like figure creator to another, Chris Akordalitis’s works are full of life. In Chandelier (2022), we see a woman laying down on a chandelier -yep, Sia’s song starts playing in the background when you look at this one-. The figure is completely stretched, her arms are swinging, her feet are arched, her bright red hair cascades, and her breasts look like they’re moving with the rhythm.

Raven Halfmoon (1991) produces large-scale sculptures representing her American Indian heritage, as we see in Hey'en Il (Daughter-Caddo) (2022). She is part of the Caddo Nation (Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma), and she opens a conversation about herself and America in general in her pieces.

My Barbarian, the performance trio, formed by Malik Gaines, Jade Gordon and Alexandro Segade, has a fascinating piece at the art fair called Standelabra IV (Cassandra as Judith) (2022), in which we can see objects they have previously used in some of their shows.

Following the importance of touching on specific topics, Elizabeth Catlett used her art to talk about the black community, especially black women. Examples are works like Negro es Bello (1970) and Torso (ca. 1988). Catlett had a brilliant career, and she had to be on this selection to honor her. “I have always wanted my art to service my people—to reflect us, to relate to us, to stimulate us, to make us aware of our potential.”

The brilliant Judy Chicago once said: “I do not think art can change the world. I think art can educate, inspire, empower people to act.”