7 Artists We’re Excited to See at EXPO CHICAGO 2026

From April 9 to 12, EXPO CHICAGO returns to Navy Pier, hosting hundreds of galleries, site-specific projects, talks, and multi-disciplinary programming both downtown and across the city. This week is one of the most exciting times for the Chicago-area art scene, and we’re excited to share our annual preview of what we’re most looking forward to!

a painted portrait of an older Asian woman with classes in her office surrounded by plants — Aliza Nisenbaum, “Hitomi” (2022), oil on linen, 66 x 57 inches

1. Aliza Nisenbaum at Anton Kern and Regan Projects

Presented by Anton Kern and Regan Projects, Aliza Nisenbaum’s vibrant portraiture portrays her subjects in bold chromatics. Nisenbaum’s smaller-scale works presented at the fair echo one of her larger projects: a celebratory mural titled “Reading Circles/ Weaving Dreams/ Seeding Futures” created for the Obama Presidential Center.

a portrait of a young black girl clutching dolls — Tawny Chatmon, “The Restoration / Made Whole Again” (2024-2025), embroidery and handstitched threadwork on archival pigment print, 30 x 25 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Myrtis

2. Tawny Chatmon at Galerie Myrtis

We’re always excited for the opportunity to see Tawny Chatmon’s portraits up close. Galerie Myrtis will be presenting some of the artist’s newer works, which continue her interest in melding craft techniques with photography. Rather than gold leaf, though, Chatmon embroiders various motifs onto her portraits.

a painting of a nude woman beating a rug on a balcony with her hair blowing in the wind — Maya Fuji, “1PM: Clean·龍神と晴れ女” (2026), acrylic and glitter on canvas, 48 x 60 x 1.5 inches

3. Maya Fuji at Charlie James

Referencing a genre of manga popular in the mid-2000s, Maya Fuji’s Slice of Life peers into the everyday activities of her young characters. Lounging, petting a napping cat, and getting ready for the evening take center stage in these vibrant yet calm paintings.

a black leaf sculpture hanging from the wall — LaKela Brown, “Two Overlapping Collard Leaves” (2026), polyurethane and acrylic, 23 × 8.5 × 2 inches

4. LaKela Brown at 56 Henry

LaKela Brown has traded in her stark white paint for another monochromatic palette, coating her polyurethane sculptures in black. For her solo presentation with 56 Henry, the artist explores ethnobotany and Black life in America through renditions of collard greens, tobacco, corn, chicken wings, and more.

a sculpture of a white woman in a yellow dress with her eyes closed and blowing a party favor — Gerard Mas, “Party Horn Lady” (2026), polychrome resin; 53 x 36.5 x 26 centimeters, edition 5 of 7

5. Gerard Mas at Ting Ting Art Space

Longtime Colossal readers will likely recognize this cheeky figure as one of Gerard Mas’ brazen busts. For the past few years, the Barcelona-based artist has been taking a playful, contemporary approach to sculpture, casting spirited women in a variety of witty roles.

a painting of a woman sitting with teddy bears next to a blue soft chair with an abstract surrounding — Rahma Lhoussig, “Playtime 2” (2023), mixed technique on canvas, 47 1/5 × 59 3/10 inches

6. Rhama Lhoussig at dmincubator

Merging abstraction and magical realism, Rhama Lhoussig paints vivid domestic scenes in which a recurring figure amuses herself with stuffed bears, flowers, toy blocks, and more. Crayon scribbles and crude line drawings fill the surrounding negative space, firmly placing the works in a dynamic moment of creativity.

a still life painting in a woven frame — Dee Clements, “lowers, Vase, Baskets” (2026), paper, claybord, reed, pine needle, dye, gouache, water-soluble pastel, 31 x 24.5 inches

7. Dee Clements with Mindy Solomon

Chicago’s own Dee Clements presents a suite of still-life paintings framed in hand-woven frames, alongside mixed-media sculpture and abstract tapestries.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article 7 Artists We’re Excited to See at EXPO CHICAGO 2026 appeared first on Colossal.