April brings a strong slate of exhibitions, including textile portraitist Gio Swaby (left) at the Art Institute of Chicago and work by Ethiopian photographer Aïda Muluneh (right) as part of a citywide public art exhibition on bus shelters and billboards.Gio Swaby, ‘My Hands Are Clean 4,’ 2017. Collection of Claire Oliver and Ian Rubinstein/Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago. Aïda Muluneh, ‘To Speak in Silence,’ 2022. Photography by David Sampson/Courtesy of Public Art Fund, NY
Spring is peak art season in Chicago. Here are 12 don’t-miss events.
The city’s blockbuster international EXPO anchors a stellar list of art events, from major names to fringe. Here are 12 to check out.
April brings a strong slate of exhibitions, including textile portraitist Gio Swaby (left) at the Art Institute of Chicago and work by Ethiopian photographer Aïda Muluneh (right) as part of a citywide public art exhibition on bus shelters and billboards.Gio Swaby, ‘My Hands Are Clean 4,’ 2017. Collection of Claire Oliver and Ian Rubinstein/Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago. Aïda Muluneh, ‘To Speak in Silence,’ 2022. Photography by David Sampson/Courtesy of Public Art Fund, NY
April brings a strong slate of exhibitions, including textile portraitist Gio Swaby (left) at the Art Institute of Chicago and work by Ethiopian photographer Aïda Muluneh (right) as part of a citywide public art exhibition on bus shelters and billboards.Gio Swaby, ‘My Hands Are Clean 4,’ 2017. Collection of Claire Oliver and Ian Rubinstein/Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago. Aïda Muluneh, ‘To Speak in Silence,’ 2022. Photography by David Sampson/Courtesy of Public Art Fund, NY
Spring is peak art season in Chicago. Here are 12 don’t-miss events.
The city’s blockbuster international EXPO anchors a stellar list of art events, from major names to fringe. Here are 12 to check out.
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Fall used to be the season where art in Chicago blossomed, but that time is past. Last year, EXPO CHICAGO, the city’s largest international art event, moved from fall to spring. And with it, galleries and museums followed suit with their own marquee events.
With collectors and curators in town, April in particular has a dazzling lineup. As part of our weeklong Spring Culture Guide, here are 12 don’t-miss happenings.
Culture under the microscope: “The Metropol Drama” is a somewhat meta exhibition that aims to show the ways art is used as a cultural mirror. Expect traditionally defined works and media alongside common objects such as legal documents and currencies. Together, the items present a strong and subversive curation of individuals, societies and how they tick.
Info: The Smart Museum of Art, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave. Free.
Conversations at the Edge 2023
When: March 30 through April 27
Where: Gene Siskel Film Center
“Conversations at the Edge” is an ongoing series of art-driven films screenings where the director is usually in attendance, so audience members can gain special insights. The spring lineup is particularly strong, with Art Institute alums Deborah Stratman (Last Things, 2023) and Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Memoria, 2021) each returning to discuss their projects. Plus, Claudia Hart, a pioneering digital artist and School of the Art Institute professor, speakers about her work Memory Theater, a new live performance that includes video elements reflecting on her life and career.
Info: At the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. General admission tickets are $13; tickets are free for students.
“Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora”
When: Now through April 23
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
The ‘90s are still having a resurgence, but in addition to the allure of low-rise denim and crop tops, the decade had a major effect on the production and circulation of Caribbean art. “Forecast Form” explores themes of weather, identity and place in ‘90s Caribbean art, and showcases the impact the region has had on our evolving culture.
Info: Through April 23 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave. Tickets are $15.
Aïda Muluneh ‘The faith of fate,’ 2022, on a Chicago bus shelter. The public installation on bus shelters is part of ‘Aïda Muluneh: This is where I am,’ presented by Public Art Fund on over 330 JCDecaux bus shelters across New York City, Chicago, and Boston in the United States, and Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire on view through May 21, 2023. Photography by David Sampson/Courtesy of Public Art Fund, NY
Aïda Muluneh
When: Through May 21st
Where: All over Chicago
Ethiopian photographer Aïda Muluneh has shown her work at the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. But this spring, her imprint will be seen all over Chicago, from displays on bus shelters (now through May 21st) to digital billboards downtown (April 3rd through 23rd). Muluneh’s photography often features women gazing at the camera with graphically painted faces. Beyond the first striking impression, there is deeper meaning: The artist often channels religious iconography, reflecting upon various political regimes she has lived through.
Gio Swaby. My Hands Are Clean 4, 2017. Collection of Claire Oliver and Ian Rubinstein. Copyright Gio Swaby Courtesy of the Art Institute of ChicagoWhen: April 8 to July 3
Where: Art Institute Chicago
Gio Swaby’s textile portraiture is simply beautiful to look at. Swaby specializes in embroidered work that channels Blackness and womanhood. In them, she plays with ideas of textured hair, clothing and jewelry. She is a master of portraiture and an expert in empowering her subjects by highlighting their truth.
Info: April 8 to July 3 at The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave. Tickets from $14.
EXPO Chicago
Crews put the final touches on the 2022 Art EXPO booth for Rhona Hoffman Gallery. Art EXPO draws galleries and curators from all over the world but always includes a strong local presence. Pictured here is a large installation by local artist Michael Rakowitz. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
When: April 13 to 16
Where: Navy Pier’s Festival Hall
Chicago’s marquee art event returns in its new seasonal slot with 170 groundbreaking exhibitors and artists from 36 countries. The event is a draw for art experts and serious buyers who come to hobnob with each other and scout emerging talent — but with a strong roster of installations, speakers and more, it’s also a great event for those new to the scene or simply curious about art.
Info: Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, 600 E. Grand Avenue. Tickets start at $30.
Art in Common: “Boil, Toil & Trouble”
Niki De Saint Phalle, ‘Sphinx,’ 1990. 11 x 16 15/16 x 12 ⅝ in. Painted polyester Courtesy of Art In Common
When: April 12 to April 23
Where: 400 N. Peoria St.
For those into all things witchy and mystical, “Boil, Toil & Trouble” is bound to cast a spell. The show, put on by Art in Common, will make use of a 15,000-square-foot commercial space currently not in use in Chicago’s Fulton Market district. It will feature 50 contemporary artists and explore the role of witches in contemporary art.
Richard Bell is an aboriginal artist in his 70s whose work has been widely exhibited in Australia and Europe but has not received a lot of U.S. attention. The Gene Siskel Film Center hopes to correct that by having a sneak peek screening of You Can Go Now, a documentary about Bell’s work and life. Even better, in addition to the film, the artist will be featured at EXPO CHICAGO and hold a talk on Saturday, April 15.
Info: Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. Tickets are $14.
Allana Clark
When: April 14 to April 23
Where: Kavi Gupta’s Washington Boulevard gallery
Trinidadian-American artist Allana Clark uses unconventional materials — such as hair bonding glue — to create work that is both interpersonal and intercultural. Her sculptures contrast the rich complexity of Black experiences with the way our culture pigeonholes and oversimplifies, exploring such topics as health, image, beauty and expression.
Barely Fair’s miniature galleries offer an alternative to the largescale of the traditional art fair. Courtesy of Barely Fair
When: April 14 to April 23
Where: Julius Caesar Color Club in Irving Park
Good things come in small packages, and Barely Fair is no exception. Now in its third year, the event gives less established and alternative galleries a platform for exhibiting their work in smaller booths that, together, offer a more digestible take on a traditional art fair. The venue — a new gallery and performance space in a former Latvian cultural center — is worth a visit, too.
An installation view of Skin + Masks, which will be mounted in April in collaboration with EXPO CHICAGO, The Magnificent Mile Association and Kavi Gupta.
When: Through April
Where: 535 N. Michigan Ave.
For some, an art gallery may feel inaccessible. “Skin + Masks” is hoping to rectify that by remounting a popular gallery show from 2022 and bringing it to Chicago’s iconic Michigan Avenue. Put on by Chicago rapper Vic Mensa, known for his unique lyrical style and collaborations with Chance the Rapper, the exhibition spotlights 30 emerging and established Chicago-based contemporary artists expressing themes of identity and experience. Artists include AFRICOBRA co-founder Gerald Williams, Nikko Washington, Mia Lee, Thelonious Stokes and Lola Ayisha Ogbara.
Kay Liu, still from ‘theater #111’ from 2022 Film, Video, New Media, Animation, and Sound Festival Courtesy of the School of the Art Institute
Film, Video, New Media, Animation and Sound Festival
When: May 10 through 13
Where: Gene Siskel Film Center
Anything is possible at the School of the Art Institute’s annual student showcases for its undergrads and grads. This year’s lineup includes stories about travel, the pandemic, isolation, coming of age, heartbreak, climate change and more. They’re experimental, free and test the boundary of what’s possible in 2D and 3D.
