To Be Young and Broke: Expo Chicago

Last year Art Chicago was canceled, Tony Karman was the man who started it all in 1980. It left Navy Pear in 2004 and went to a tent in Grant Park in 2005 and was almost canceled in 2006 until the Merchandize mart opened its doors. Art Chicago ran in the Merchandize mart until 2011. I have only gone to the 2009 and 2010 Art Chicago and now the new Expo Chicago in 2012. In 2011 Tony Karman got fed up with some of inside politics of the show and pulled out, and took a lot of galleries with him, with not enough galleries participating Art Chicago was shut down. Next year Tony deiced to go back to basics and open up Expo Chicago in Navy Pear just like the goo ol days.

While these expos are great to see young and old artist. However the price for a table can be 1000$ for a small spot to 6000$ for a large area. Which only leads the top selling galleries and artists to be able to show work. Its also a price place for dealers, so basically it only has art that dealers and very very wealthy people would buy. This obviously limits what is shown, even a young contemporary or experimental gallery will show work that sells. You can feel it in the atmosphere, money, wealth, and class its almost like a stink. This can make a young and up and coming artist visiting the show feel like art is nothing but a commodity, and in some way it is. But when you feel, scarifies, poor your sweat and blood into this life style, only to have the elite buy and sell it as easy as buying a hot dog, it can make you feel jaded and even hate the art world with a wild passion.