John Behnke's False Guides at EXPO 2025!

John Behnke at his False Guides exhibition opening at Epiphany Gallery in January 2025

We are beyond excited to announce that Project Onward artist John Behnke will present his solo exhibition, False Guides, at EXPO CHICAGO 2025, one of the world’s premier contemporary art fairs. Held April 24–27 at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, EXPO CHICAGO brings together leading modern and contemporary galleries from across the globe. Now part of the international Frieze platform, the fair celebrates dynamic voices in contemporary art—and this year, John Behnke is one of them.

False Guides unfolds across three surreal storylines of striving, deception, and downfall. Using a layered mix of markers, acrylics, oils, ceramics, and glaze, Behnke constructs scenes that are hallucinatory in detail and rich in mood. Best known for his radiant skies, here he pivots to darker terrains: "The Wanderers," which follows animated mannequins in an abandoned mall; a series set in Texas explores the empty spaces years after a cult descends into self-destruction; and another cult facing imminent ends in a California greenhouse. Behnke’s work delves into how distorted guidance leads individuals down destructive paths, blurring the line between reality and delusion.

“All these series are based on people being led in strange ways that warp an individual’s perspective and ultimately cause one’s demise,” Behnke explains. Despite their unsettling themes, the works are dazzling—filled with color, movement, and mystery.

Born in 1991, John Behnke has been part of Project Onward since 2011. His work merges a romantic reverence for nature with dystopian visions of the future, transforming real places through memory, dreams, and an eerie dusk-lit palette he calls “paranormal colors.” Whether working in his Oriole Park home studio or at Project Onward, he paints to communicate what words can’t: “My paintings are a dream or a playground where anyone can walk in and make their own story.”

This invitation to imagination is what makes False Guides such a significant moment in John’s career. It's not only a culmination of years of artistic growth—it’s a statement that his unique vision belongs on a global stage.

Catch False Guides at EXPO CHICAGO, April 24–27, and experience John’s world for yourself.Learn more and get tickets at expochicago.com.