EXPO Chicago 2026 saw strong sales and welcomed 35,000 attendees.
The 2026 edition of EXPO Chicago closed with strong sales, nearly 35,000 visitors, and participation from more than 130 galleries. Helmed by Director Kate Sierzputowski and Curator Essence Harden, the fair emphasized a more intentional format, with sections like Focus and Profile highlighting emerging voices and tightly conceived presentations. A key partnership with the Obama Presidential Center—offering a preview of upcoming museum commissions—alongside new initiatives like EXPO Projects, underscored the fair’s push toward institutional collaboration and community-driven programming.
The Circulation(s) photo festival is presenting its 16th edition in Paris.
The 16th edition of the Circulation(s) Festival of Young European Photography is on view at CENTQUATRE-Paris now through May 17, showcasing work by 26 emerging photographers from 15 countries. Without an established theme, the exhibition instead captures the diversity, urgency, and experimental approaches of a new generation. Positioned as a key platform for discovery, the festival highlights early-career talent and evolving photographic practices, reinforcing its role as a barometer for the future of European image-making.
Soho House has opened in Tokyo.
Soho House has opened its first Japanese outpost in Tokyo’s Aoyama district—a 75,000-square-foot members’ club blending maximalist interiors with traditional Japanese craftsmanship. The multi-level space includes 42 guest rooms, club lounges, dining venues, a wellness studio, and a rooftop infinity pool with views of Tokyo Tower and Mount Fuji. Interiors combine European vintage furnishings with local materials like Kyoto lacquer and Nagoya tiles, while a partnership with Onitsuka Tiger for custom uniforms underscores the project’s fusion of global lifestyle branding and local cultural context.
Hermès will continue with its plan to increase output.
Hermès is pressing ahead with plans to increase production, opening its 25th leather goods workshop in France (near Bordeaux) despite a broader slowdown in luxury demand and geopolitical uncertainty. The new site will focus on core handbag lines like the Kelly, Constance, and Bride de Jour, reinforcing the brand’s long-term strategy of expanding capacity through artisan-led, Made-in-France production.
The design for Vancouver’s first supertall skyscraper draws inspiration from the ocean floor.
Vancouver’s first supertall skyscraper—planned for 595 West Georgia Street and rising over 1,033 feet—draws its design from ancient glass sea sponge reefs found off the British Columbia coast. Designed by Henriquez Partners Architects, the tower features a lattice-like exoskeleton that mimics the porous, layered structure of these marine organisms and combines sculptural form with structural efficiency and reduced material use. Part of the larger Georgia & Abbott mixed-use development, the project integrates public elements—including a rooftop atrium and observation spaces—to position the building as both an architectural landmark and a model for biomimicry-driven, sustainable urban design.
Today’s attractive distractions:
Sabine Marcelis headlined the Coachella Art Program this year.
French watch brand March LA.B is making its Watches and Wonders debut this week.
Comme des Garçons goes fluorescent for its new Nike collab.
Paulin, Paulin, Paulin collaborates with Hauser & Wirth for Mise-en-scène in Monaco.
