May Musings…

Written By Kovas Palubinskas

Expo Chicago

Who else attended Expo Chicago? I went with some friends, though we only spent a part of the time together. I like to quickly walk through museums, galleries, and yes, art fairs. Then I go back around and look at items I'd identified as interesting the initial go-round. The second time around I sometimes see new things I missed the first time, and also start thinking about what I want to take photos of. Then I go through again and take the photos. During each loop, I try to find a new spot to sit and watch the people go by, sometimes as interesting as what I came for. My biggest pet peeve at the Expo (and, unfortunately, at many galleries on the regular), were the booth tenders that were too busy with their phones or laptops to even give me a glance. Or maybe they did and decided I wasn't worth the effort. The fair itself? I'd say it was 1/3 good art and the rest not so good or worse - of course this is only my opinion. The smaller size didn't bother me, though it felt odd to be in a clearly smaller space within the previous larger one. My biggest complaint is that it didn't feel like it had a personality, no cohesiveness. And it didn't feel particularly like Chicago to me. Not enough emphasis on the home team and too much on foreign galleries that didn't feel curated to me. First year for Kate Sierzputowski as director, we'll see if Frieze keeps her constrained or allows her to be more creative and expansive in upcoming years. What did you think? Respond to this email and let me know!

/mæn-ʌs/ A Chicago Art Zine

Thanks to all of you that have ordered a copy of the zine! Issues from October 2025, January 2026, and April 2026 are all available via the webshop and out in the wild through Quimby's, Chicago Comics, and Sheep Cult Comics. Would love the support via any avenue!

Exhibitions I’m excited to see this month:

Any other must-sees? 

Kovas Palubinskas
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