Expo Chicago, the city’s largest art fair, returns to Navy Pier April 9–12. This year’s edition has slimmed down—130 galleries versus last year’s 170—and also eliminated the Special Exhibitions section, a move that’s rattled nonprofits and smaller arts organizations. For them, visibility matters.
No one knows that better than Vincent Uribe.
A 35-year-old artist and gallerist, he’s on a mission to breakdown barriers between Chicago’s various art communities. The tattoo of a Wi-Fi icon on his neck tells the story: He’s all about making connections.
In addition to curating contemporary galleries at Soho House, Epiphany Center for the Arts and LVL3 Gallery, he plans fundraisers and exhibitions at Arts of Life, the nonprofit that champions adult artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities, giving them a platform alongside artists from more traditional backgrounds.
“The way he seamlessly moves between the different parts of the art world with the goal of elevating what’s underrepresented is pretty unique,” says Nicholas Schotzenhofer, the director of Arts of Life’s Circle Contemporary Gallery. “I don’t see many people who can do it.”
We caught up with Uribe as he was hanging a photography show at Epiphany, one of six shows currently up in this Romanesque church-turned-art space on the edge of the West Loop. We talked about Chicago’s art scene, its underrepresented artists, and how to navigate an art fair like a pro.
Windy City Times: You’ve got a busy Expo Week planned. What’s your take on this year’s changes?
Vincent Uribe: I’m curious to see how it feels. It downsized by about a third and removed the nonprofit and publication sections, which were some of the most exciting parts. Unfortunately, Arts of Life isn’t doing Expo this year because of that. The good news is that Madeline Gallucci, the marketing director at Expo, will be a guest curator for a show, The Threshold Varies, at our Circle Contemporary Gallery. We’re planning a curatorial walkthrough and a closing reception during Expo week.
WCT: What else will you be up to?
VU: A whole slew of things. I’ll be hosting or organizing 12 events that week. From gallery visits, studio visits, dinners, talks…WCT: Are you ready?
VU: No! I’m trying to make sure I’m not double-booking anything.
WCT: Tell me more about the mission of Arts of Life.
VU: Arts of Life supports the professional development of artists with disabilities. That means we help support getting their work seen and recognized as contemporary artwork. That might be through exhibitions, sales, archiving, arts education, or providing studio space and supplies. It’s an all-encompassing collective studio program.WCT: How did you get involved with them?
VU: I had been in Chicago five years and thought I’d been to every art space in the city. One day, a friend sent me a job posting for a place called Arts of Life. I walked in for the interview and was dumbfounded. I rode my bike past this warehouse in West Town every day and had no idea it was there. All this work being made in this huge studio, completely off my radar. I just fell in love with the work and the mission.
WCT: As a queer person in the art world, do you feel a responsibility to highlight diversity?
VU: I work with a lot of queer artists, artists of color, and artists with disabilities. But I don’t want that to be the crutch of my practice. I don’t want to tokenize people. The goal is to highlight the work as contemporary art.
WCT: What artists are you excited about right now?
VU: Marvin Young, who is an artist at Arts of Life’s South Side studio, will have his first solo museum exhibition at Intuit Art Museum starting April 9. The photos I’m hanging now are by Alexa Viscius, who is a photographer and a musician in the indie band Bnny. It’s called “Portraits of People Who Make Music.” But actually, I’m excited about this whole grouping at Epiphany because it shows the diverse range of Chicago artists. It’s a nice culmination of what I’m trying to accomplish.
WCT: Do you think different art scenes have misunderstandings about each other?
VU: It’s not that they misunderstand each other as much as they just stay in their silos. But as someone who identifies as an extrovert, I like engaging with people outside my comfort zone.
WCT: What first sparked your interest in art?
VU: Growing up in LA, I was very involved in the music scene, going to a lot of DIY, punk shows. I moved here in 2008, straight out of high school, to go to the School of the Art Institute, thinking I was going to be a music video director—Michel Gondry was a big influence, Daniel Johnston, too. When I got to SAIC I got completely sucked in by everything else they had to offer. I ended up staying five years, doing a dual degree. In the middle of all that, LVL3 kind of started by accident.
WCT: Accident how?
VU: I was living in the workspace that LVL3 is in now. My roommates who were running the space got kicked out and I sort of inherited it. Some friends convinced me to start a gallery. I didn’t really know what I was doing. Somebody wanted to buy a painting at the first show and I didn’t even know what to do. I was like—wait, what?
WCT: What’s your advice for new collectors buying their first piece?
VU: People think there’s some formula or investment strategy. I tell people to trust their gut.
WCT: It’s gauche to ask about prices at a gallery?
VU: No, ask if it’s not listed. There’s nothing rude about it. The work is for sale.
WCT: How can people stay plugged into the gallery scene after Expo Chicago?
VU: Visualist.org is a great resource. You can see every opening and art event on any given day. Just pick one and go, even if you know nothing about it. I tell my students they should go to at least four art events a month. And ask questions when you’re there. Ask about the work, ask about the artist.
WCT: What do you do for fun besides art?
VU: Smart Bar is my go-to. I also go to Queen on regularly. Dancing is my form of therapy.