Western Exhibitions

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Chicago

Western Exhibitions was conceived in 2002 as a nomadic commercial gallery, staging shows at apartments, lofts, other galleries and participating in the influential Stray Show. In 2004, director (and ex-artist) Scott Speh first opened a brick-and-mortar space on Chicago’s west side and after 10 years in the West Loop, moved to Chicago’s West Town neighborhood in 2016, along with Document, Volume Gallery and Paris London Hong Kong.

Western Exhibitions is a contemporary art gallery that shows thought-provoking, and visually innovative artists who work across most media, with an emphasis on personal narratives and cosmologies; LGBTQ and feminist artists and issues; pattern, decoration and surface concerns; works on paper; and artist books. Western Exhibitions presents unique artist projects, curated group shows and maintains a specific inventory of artist books and multiples, gathered together as a sister entity and store, WesternXeditions.

In November 2022, the gallery opened a second location,(northern) Western Exhibitions, in the Chicagoland suburb of Skokie.(northern) Western Exhibitions shares a renovated single-floor bow truss building on Skokie’s charming downtown corridor with WHO Modern, a mid-century modern-focused vintage store co- run by Donald Schmaltz and building owner Zach Williams. As a vintage veteran with a passion for Italian furniture, Schmaltz previously co-owned Chicago’s Circa Modern and has worked as a design specialist at Toomey & Co. Auctioneers and Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. In addition to curating furniture and designed objects at WHO Modern, Schmaltz will also oversee day-to-day operations at (northern) Western Exhibitions.