tony karman president and director expo chicago
Expo Chicago 2013, the second iteration of Expo, is officially beginning tomorrow 19 September with Vernissage, the opening night preview. But let’s go back to December 2012. We talked to Tony as a follow-up after Expo Chicago 2012.
[DesignApplause] Before we talk about Expo Chicago 2012 a couple of questions. What did you think of Art Basel 2012 and what did you do there?
[Tony Karman] For me, the experience was invaluable to speak with dealers, curators, collectors, institutional directors. It’s an invaluable resource with a sheer number of bodies of people there. For me, it was an opportunity to discuss what Expo Chicago was but, more importantly, let everyone know where we are going and where we are as we build the next iteration. Having an opportunity to do that with the concentration of individuals that are important as well as participants in the world of art and design made it critical to be there, as it always is. Myself, as well as the staff and PR/marketing team, came to build relationships. That’s what it’s all about.
[DA] How was 2012 in your business world?
[TK] I think in a business world, there was a lot of hesitance in 2012. I was building an art fair, so for me, I may or not be as queued in as a dealer would be on the trends or the marketplace. But I did talk to everyone and I think that 2012 was good for a lot of people. A lot opened up. Unfortunately, Sandy did damage to many New York galleries, which I think will still be a problem for many months to come. If you looked outside of a few major hits like that, 2012 was pretty positive for the art world. Look at the auctions. Look at where things are. The amount of sales made. Miami was a prime example of a juggernaut. I didn’t talk to many dealers that weren’t happy. I think that speaks volumes about moving into 2013. Collectors feel more comfortable about buying. But there were a lot of anomalies in 2012. The election captivated a good number of people and contributions. To not have an election year I think is going to be important as we move into 2013.
[DA] The first Obama election campaign, DesignAapplause really documented his branding. An unbelievable phenomena where the art world really got behind him. I sort of anticipated that again this year and I wasn’t aware of it. Did you notice anything?
[TK] I don’t know if I noticed it. I didn’t see it in Chicago or those involved in the community. Maybe that’s because that’s Chicago and he’s obviously very much a part of it. I think it was a different kind of election and year. If you check my Facebook, I was very proud to vote and show support for him. I would say that for the most part, I didn’t see any drop-off on support. The enthusiasm we felt, saw and heard in 2008 would be hard to replicate. That was an amazing moment. I think people were a bit quieter in their support. Obviously, the support was maintained or we would be talking about a different scenario now.
[DA] A worldwide question. How many, in 2012, significant fairs and auctions transpired?
[TK] Oh my gosh. I don’t know. I traveled to probably 15. The spring and fall auctions are powerful. When you look at what’s going on in spring, fall, summer and special auctions, there’s a lot of activity year round. I don’t know how to begin about how many for me.
expo 2012 | round the block 2002 | tony crag | galerie hans mayer | dusseldorf
[DA] What stands out with Expo Chicago?
[TK] I think it’s an extraordinary first step. We were committed to quality dealers, designing a vessel that fit the work that was put in it. I think I would say we achieved an extraordinary first year of both quality of artwork and presentation. It was interesting for an exhibitor to move in and out. For the most part, it was flawless. That’s pretty amazing for a first step. That’s not over confidence because there is still a lot of work to do. Like any fair, some dealers will do well, some OK and some not well at all. We need to keep doing and do very well and we will have a fair for Chicago for a long time. For the most part, we’re well on our way. That doesn’t mean we made everyone happy. We have a lot of work to do. You can’t mature or grow until you’ve had that first step, which we did. I feel comfortable that we did it without falling.
[DA] The latest number of attendance I had was 27,000. Did you have an idea going in how many might attend?
[TK] No, I didn’t. I might have hoped for a larger number. But it’s more about the right 2,000, the right 3,000, then the wrong 43,000. But I’m really proud that we were able to post that attendance number and I’m confident that that will continue to grow and reflect the collecting public.
[DA] Art Basel Miami seems to collect a lot from South America. Do you have a pretty diverse group of collectors?
[TK] I think that’s an important factor to Miami’s success, let alone being in Miami in December. But its proximity to America and long relationship with a lot of Europeans is why it’s there. They’ll always serve Miami Basel for many years to come. If you ask what is our target, of course we want to draw collectors from the Coast, but our target is really the Midwest. We want to make sure we’re turning out Toronto, Denver, Dallas and Columbus and everything in between. That’s why they’re looking to do in this fair. We’re as interested as drawing in collectors from San Francisco, LA, New York, Miami, which I’m sure we will. But the greater Midwest collectors and museum curators are here next year. That’s our focus.
[DA] Do you track the demographics on your collectors?
[TK] We did an OK job of it. The answer is yes. Off the record, we did an OK job, but we need to retool how we calculated the metrics so I can’t give you anything right now that is of substance. Next year we’ll have better metrics to report. We had some numbers we can track of the Midwest. The web and some sales, but some of the scanning we did has to be done better next time.
expo 2012 | play it by trust 1986 | yoko ono | carl solway gallery | cincinnati
[DA] The reviews of 2012 were glowing. I really didn’t see or hear anything negative. Did you get any suggestions from the galleries?
{TK] Oh my god, yes. The beautiful thing is even if everything sold out, there would still be things you have to change. What I’m very proud of that even the galleries that didn’t do well, their advice and counsel has been very constructive for a long-term play for this fair. All we can ever do is continue to listen to our clients, which are the dealers that are exhibiting at the fair. There were a lot of suggestions and a lot were doing a better job of bringing in regional clientele so that’s where we’re focusing. We’re not making the fair larger. One adjustment we made is that it will be Thursday to Sunday rather than Wednesday to Sunday, but that’s a minor change.
[DA] One day…is that day that important?
[TK] I think it’s a concentration of collectors and time. Until we’re at a place where we can warrant adding a 5th day, we’ll keep it at 4. For the most part, the regional cities and collectors came up on the weekends. Chicago is a working town. Because of that, attendance was a bit off on that Thursday so it made sense.
[DA] Any disappointments?
[TK] It’s going to sound like a cop out, but the only disappointment is that 100 dealers didn’t sell out and that’s an unreasonable expectation, but it is a big disappointment. I care a great deal about the success of individuals taking a risk to be a part of something. I think if there is a disappointment, I would love to see more regional collectors and I think we are well on our way to seeing that they attend this year. On the other hand, I’m awfully proud that many regional collectors did attend. The other disappointment is sheer performance on my part. There’s always a little more I would have liked to see. By virtue of having one fair in the bank, we can refine and build off of some of things that we couldn’t do.
We weren’t anything until we were something. We were all just hope. A vision. Hope. I think for the most part, the world doesn’t move in one year. People can come see what we look like and what we are. I’m grateful that those that attended, local or international, saw a fair that was respectful of the work and with great material. That bodes well for their return. We’re pretty confident we’re getting the strong attention of collectors that came and the machine that you go to and I go to in Miami…when this fair matures in 2-3 years, I expect it to be very well on that end.
[DA] So let’s look at next year. Will you continue to stay with 100 galleries?
[TK] I think it’s important to maintain the quality. Keeping it at that level is…that’s not to say we don’t increase it in the future. When the marketplace can sustain it and quality of dealers are beating down the door, we’ll consider it. But only if the exhibitors want it, not me. It’s their space.
[DA] Can you tell us how many galleries you vetted?
[TK] We turn down a lot of applications is all I can say. There were many more than there are exhibitors.
[DA] I heard a lot of local galleries were really angry that they didn’t make the cut.
[TK] I think that that’s the case. I’m sure it’ll be the same…I’m the kind of person that wants everyone to win and take part, but nature of an art fair, especially one where we made a commitment to not be a 200 gallery fair, doesn’t allow for everyone in Chicago that wants to do it to do it. The most important thing is that I hope that this fair is always one that the exhibitor or dealer is proud to be a part of. If we were just doing a fair of 300 galleries and I let everyone in, then I’m just selling real estate. I’m not curating a fair that provides a dealer a real pride of participation. It’s gotta mean something. One of the problems with Miami and Art Basel and other fairs, it’s just gotten so big.
[DA] Do you have a guestimate of how many galleries are returning at this time?
[TK] I don’t. I won’t know until February. I would say most are.
[DA] What kind of calendar do you have for galleries starting to get in touch with you about committing, when do you start looking?
[TK] The applications are due at the end of January. That’s the first round. It’s ongoing.
[DA] What about some of your partnerships? Are you going to have the same relationship with MCA?
[TK] I think with all of the partnerships we’ve established last year, no one is looking to change that. Absolutely.
[DA] If you’re going to keep it at 100, are there more off-site opportunities that might be available in 2013?
[TK] Some things are too early. I will probably make an announcement of a broader city-wide initiative in February, but you can’t say that. I’ll let you know that. Yes.
[DA] I know when we talked before the event, we spoke of design galleries. It sounds like 2013 is not going to to be the hard effort to bring a design gallery in.
[TK] I’m still going to work hard. It’s my hope that we can get a number of design galleries to participate and build partnerships in ways that allow that sector to flourish within a fair. I am committed to it. I believe strongly it is important that design galleries find a place in this art fair. Again, I’m gonna keep working hard on that.
[DA] Design Miami’s genesis of presenting design galleries was an initiative conceived and delivered by several design galleries. There were quite a few galleries in Expo 2012 that DesignApplause showcased that presented designer creations.
[TK] Yes. I think it’s an important part of the future. Clearly, it’s something that the major design fairs have done. I would love to see some of those galleries participate in Expo Chicago.
expo 2012 | image courtesy studio gang architects
[DA] You create, design something and you don’t really know how it works until afterword. How did the Pier and its new configuration work out?
[TK] I would say again we were massively pleased with the collaboration with Jeanne Gang. We plan to do it again a second year. Most importantly, her designs were incredibly well received and supported. I would expect year two will provide a few other new twists. I’m looking forward to working with her again.
[DA] What about Artsy? Have you talked to them?
[TK] We’ve built a deep relationship with Art Space, which we expect to grow and that was founded by Chris Vroom, who also founded Artadia. Artspace is really great.
[DA] Is there anything we didn’t talk about?
[TK] We covered a bunch. Thank you.
expo 2012 | s/t 2012 | jorge perianes | max estrella | madrid
expo 2012 | silent music 2012 | jaume plensa | richard gray gallery | chicago (in/situ)
expo 2012 | night watchman 2009 | tamas dezso | robert koch gallery | san francisco
expo 2012 | binary system 2012 | jesse small | nancy hoffman gallery | new york
Back to the present. What to take in at Expo Chicago 2013.
[ 2013 exhibiting galleries ]
Galeria Álvaro Alcázar Madrid
Ameringer | McEnery | Yohe New York
Gallery Paule Anglim San Francisco
BASE GALLERY Tokyo
John Berggruen Gallery San Francisco
Galleri Bo Bjerggaard Copenhagen
Marianne Boesky Gallery New York
Jonathan Boos, LLC New York
Isabella Bortolozzi Galerie Berlin
Russell Bowman Art Advisory Chicago
Rena Bransten Gallery San Francisco
THE BREEDER Athens, Monaco
CABINET London
David Castillo Gallery Miami
Cernuda Arte Coral Gables
Chambers Fine Art New York, Beijing
James Cohan Gallery New York, Shanghai
Corbett vs. Dempsey Chicago
CRG Gallery New York
Stephen Daiter Gallery Chicago
Douglas Dawson Gallery Chicago
Maxwell Davidson Gallery New York
MASSIMO DE CARLO Milan, London
DIE GALERIE Frankfurt
Catherine Edelman Gallery Chicago
Max Estrella Madrid
Henrique Faria Fine Art New York
Peter Fetterman Gallery Santa Monica
Fleisher/Ollman Philadelphia
Galerie Forsblom Helsinki
Forum Gallery New York
Honor Fraser Los Angeles
Fredericks & Freiser New York
Galerie Terminus Munich
Galeria Hilario Galguera Mexico City, Berlin
Richard Gray Gallery Chicago, New York
Kavi Gupta Chicago | Berlin Chicago, Berlin
Hackett | Mill San Francisco
Haines Gallery San Francisco
Carl Hammer Gallery Chicago
Galerie Ernst Hilger Vienna
Hill Gallery Birmingham, Detroit
Nancy Hoffman Gallery New York
Rhona Hoffman Gallery Chicago
Vivian Horan Fine Art New York
Edwynn Houk Gallery New York, Zurich
II Ponte Contemporanea Rome
Taka Ishii Gallery Tokyo
Bernard Jacobson Gallery London, New York
R.S. Johnson Fine Art Chicago
Annely Juda Fine Art London
Robert Koch Gallery San Francisco
Koenig & Clinton New York
Michael Kohn Gallery Los Angeles
Alan Koppel Gallery Chicago
Galerie Lelong New York, Paris, Zurich
Locks Gallery Philadelphia
Lombard Freid Gallery New York
Diana Lowenstein Gallery Miami
Luhring Augustine New York
Magnan Metz Gallery New York
Robert Mann Gallery New York
Matthew Marks Gallery New York, Los Angeles
Barbara Mathes Gallery New York
Galerie Hans Mayer Düsseldorf
The Mayor Gallery London
McCormick Gallery Chicago
Anthony Meier Fine Arts San Francisco
Andrea Meislin Gallery New York
Jerald Melberg Gallery Charlotte
Laurence Miller Gallery New York
moniquemeloche Chicago
Carolina Nitsch New York
David Nolan Gallery New York, Berlin
Richard Norton Gallery LLC Chicago
P.P.O.W. New York
Pace Prints New York
Franklin Parrasch Gallery New York
Galería Moisés Pérez de Albéniz Madrid
Ricco / Maresca Gallery New York
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery New York
Rosenthal Fine Art Chicago
Galerie Thomas Schulte Berlin
Carrie Secrist Gallery Chicago
Marc Selwyn Fine Art Los Angeles
Sicardi Gallery Houston
Manny Silverman Gallery Los Angeles
Skarstedt Gallery New York, London
Garth Greenan Gallery New York
Carl Solway Gallery Cincinnati
MARC STRAUS New York
Hollis Taggart Galleries New York
Tandem Press Madison
Paul Thiebaud Gallery San Francisco
Tierney Gardarin Gallery New York
Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects New York
Vincent Vallarino Fine Art New York
Tim Van Laere Gallery Antwerp
Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects Los Angeles
Weinstein Gallery Minneapolis
Max Wigram Gallery London
Zolla/Lieberman Gallery Chicago
David Zwirner New York, London
Blackston New York
Bourouina Gallery Berlin
Galerie Donald Browne Montréal
Callicoon Fine Arts New York
Luis De Jesus Los Angeles Los Angeles
DE LA CRUZ PROJECTS Costa Rica
Diaz Contemporary Toronto
DODGEgallery New York
Charlie James Gallery Los Angeles
JTT New York
MARSO Mexico City
Galerie Max Mayer Düsseldorf
THE MISSION Chicago
On Stellar Rays New York
ANDREW RAFACZ Chicago
Jessica Silverman Gallery San Francisco
SPINELLO PROJECTS Miami
VAN HORN Düsseldorf
Workplace Gallery Gateshead, London
[ programs ]
IN/SITU
A key element of the exposition’s innovative artistic programming is IN/SITU, providing the opportunity for exhibitors to showcase large-scale installations, site-specific and performative works by select international artists. Situated throughout EXPO CHICAGO’s expansive floor, IN/SITU will offer a dynamic itinerary that connects various points of interest throughout EXPO CHICAGO. IN/SITU will be guided by Shamim M. Momin, director, curator, and co-founder of LAND (Los Angeles Nomadic Division).
/DIALOGUES
Presented in partnership with The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), /Dialogues
is a year-round program of symposia, panel discussions, and provocative artistic discourse. The series will culminate with informative and thought-provoking daily events during the fair, highlighting the field’s leading artists, architects, curators, designers and arts professionals and the current issues that engage them.
VIP PROGRAM
Aligning with Chicago’s top cultural and art organizations, EXPO CHICAGO’s VIP Program will provide exclusive access to private events, curator led tours of museum exhibitions as well as tours of the fair, and visits to some of Chicago’s premier private collections and artist studios.
VERNISSAGE
EXPO CHICAGO will again team with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago for Vernissage, the opening night preview benefiting the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Thursday, 19 September 2013 | 6 > 9p
EXPO PARTNERS
EXPO CHICAGO will also partner with the city’s leading visual arts organizations and institutions for special exhibitions on and off the show floor. Art and museum partners to date offering special viewings and ticketing options include: Arts Club of Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, ACRE Residency, Bad At Sports, Chicago Architectural Foundation, Chicago Artists’ Coalition, Choose Chicago, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Graham Foundation, Hyde Park Art Center, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, National Museum of Mexican Art, The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, to name a few.
Artspace.com
The leading online marketplace for contemporary art, partners with EXPO CHICAGO allowing art collectors around the world to preview and participate in the exposition. Artspace will expand EXPO’s audience by reaching a growing base of over 200,000 collectors and its vast network of museum trustees, directors and curators while giving collectors first access to preview, browse and inquire about available works showcased by EXPO’s prominent roster of galleries, facilitating acquisitions at the fair.
event> Expo Chicago @expochicago
date> 19 > 22 September 2013
venue> Navy Pier’s Festival Hall
vernissage> The opening night preview benefiting MCA Chicago | Thursday, 19 September 6 > 9p [ $100 tickets available ]
general admission> 20 > 22 September 2013 | Sunday 22 Sept. 22 | Fri + Sat 11a > 7p | Sun 11a > 6p
