Elephant’s Associate Editor meets up with Exposure curator Rosario Güiraldes at EXPO for a tour of her fair highlights.
It’s a good thing that Rosario Güiraldes used to be a New Yorker because time is of the essence on the opening day of EXPO Chicago. I meet the Argentinian curator at the East Cafe, where we begin our rapid tour of EXPO’s Exposure section, an area of the fair dedicated to galleries with under ten years of experience. For many of the galleries showing in Exposure, this marks their first time ever showing work in America. Galleries come from across the country with a healthy representation from major American cities like Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, and Buffalo, but also internationally with galleries travelling the distance from countries like Brazil, the Netherlands, Iran, South Africa, Japan, and many more. It’s the second year in a row that Rosario has been asked to curate Exposure – an anomaly in the history of the fair, which usually selects a new curator for the section every year – but Rosario seems to have the magic touch.
So, what’s so inviting about EXPO? “It’s an excellent place to break into the contemporary art market,” says Rosario, “especially for younger galleries. It’s a great place to introduce their artists to the global stage.” But there’s also something special about the city itself. Rosario tells me that there is a Midwestern sensibility that translates into the fair: “Lots of the galleries are coming from abroad, and they really value how open and curious the audiences are here in Chicago. There’s a recognition of the effort that these galleries – many of which have travelled from abroad – have made to be here.”
First on Rosario’s list is Mitre Galeria from Brazil, showing the work of Wallace Pato, a Rio de Janeiro-based artist whose large paintings ooze with warmth and sunlight. “The works give this incredible dignity to the figures that Black bodies that they portray. Each figure is seen in a different situation and landscape. They’re all fairly leisurely and contemplative, and each suggests a different narrative around the black lived experience,” says Rosario. At Mitre Galeria, I am introduced to the gallery’s director, Flávia Cardoso Suzuki, who tells me about the significance of showing at EXPO for the first time, for both herself and the artist. “This is a very important year for the gallery,” says Flávia. “We’re trying to make a move to become more international, so this year we are showing at Frieze New York, EXPO, and hopefully Frieze London.” Flávia also echoes Rosario’s sentiment that the audience at EXPO is especially engaged with the works at the fair: “People are warm here. They want to spend time at the booth, to really have an exchange about the work.”
Next, Rosario takes me to Cott Gallery’s booth. Cott is an Argentinian gallery, which holds special significance for Rosario, originally from Buenos Aires. Cott is showing two series from mid-career artist Veronica Gómez, which reflect on Argentinian tales and fables. Veronica has made waves in Brazil but hasn’t exhibited in America before – and she tells me that this is her first time visiting. “I am struck by how beautiful Chicago is,” she says, noting the tulips that are growing throughout the city this time of year.
The third gallery on Rosario’s list is VERVE, a gallery from Santa Fe showing the work of Lita Cerqueira and Nádia Taquary. Both artists were born in Salvador, and both their practices are deeply rooted in Bahia’s ancestral, spiritual, and cultural heritage. Lita Cerquieria’s work depicts striking scenes from the city of Salvador, and this showcase marks a triumphant moment for the artist. Born in the 1950s, she is now finally being recognised as the first Black woman to work professionally as a photographer. As for Nádia, this is the second time that the gallery has brought her work to the city. “We brought Nádia’s work to Chicago because we really want the city to be introduced to the research behind her practice,” the gallery tells me. Nadia’s works, a selection of several masks, line the external wall of the booth, each one a visual representation of a different spiritual guide.
Rosario’s next gallery is Eclectica Contemporary from Cape Town, South Africa, where Abdoulaye Konaté’s huge tapestries line the walls. “The way that Abdoulaye produces these pieces is incredibly labour-intensive,” says Rosario. “He works with around twenty different families to create them; the women will hand-dye the pieces, while the men do all of the stitching. He’s really thinking about the socio-political and environmental conditions in Mali, but working through the lens of abstraction and colour.”
Fifth on the curator’s list is Niru Ratnam from London. For EXPO, they are showing the work of British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor, whose work explores Zambian culture and reconfigures personal narratives in the absence of reliable archives, utilising an incredibly distinct colour palette.
Next, Rosario takes me to Megan Mulrooney’s booth, a gallery from Los Angeles that’s showing a joint presentation from Josh Cloud and Maddy Inez. “It’s funny,” says Isabella Pigoni Miller, Associate Director of Megan Mulrooney, “We didn’t actually realise that these two artists were friends until we decided to show their work together at EXPO.” That there’s a relationship between these two artists comes as little surprise when you see how well these ceramic offerings work together. “Josh studied at Cal Arts, which is basically the school that feeds into Disney,” says Isabella, “and that atmosphere definitely seeped into his earlier works, which were kind of cartoonish and cute. But over the last few years, we have seen that start to morph. Now, as you can see, the sculpture itself is being swallowed by an abundance of materials. It represents the chaos and messiness of life.” Meanwhile, Maddy’s work references the wildflowers of Los Angeles that have continued to grow despite the devastating fires.
Finally, we visit Ochi, another gallery from Los Angeles, showing the vibrant work of Lilian Martinez. “Lil exclusively paints brown women,” says gallery director Meghan Gordon. “She grew up visiting the Art Institute in Chicago, and she rarely saw brown women depicted there. Now, she is returning to the city with a series of paintings of brown women enjoying life, moving slowly, and taking a moment to treat themselves.” Lilian is also committed to making her work as accessible as possible, markedly pricing it at a level her own family could afford.
Half an hour later, our tour of EXPO’s Exposure section has come to an end. As we walk back to the cafe where we first met, I ask Rosario about her plans outside of the fair. She tells me that she’ll be spending time with fellow curators and creatives: “There is this real feeling of really celebrating and showing up for our community, and I want to continue that all weekend.”
Written by Emily Burke
