The region’s premier art event, the Caribbean Fine Art Fair (CaFA), returns for its 14th edition in Barbados with a spotlight on the works of over 45 Caribbean and Diaspora contemporary artists as well as fashion, film, performance, and spoken word events scheduled daily.
Art enthusiasts worldwide will be able to join CaFA Fair 2024 in person at Bagnall’s Point Gallery, Pelican Village Craft Centre, or without leaving their homes by visiting the website www.caribbean.global, from March 6 to 10.
“This year’s CaFA Fair Barbados presents a balanced selection of emerging and internationally known artists representing 16 Caribbean nations, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, the USA and the UK,” said CaFA Fair executive director Anderson M. Pilgrim. “We are excited about our scheduled programming featuring an array of regional experts and practitioners.”
Daniel Hort, the Executive Director of Onomatopoeia Art and a co-producer of the event, added that “with the incredible international growth and interest in Caribbean fine art, the opportunity to present a broader vision of the cultural creativity from the region grows as well”.
“Our presentation of Cosmoda Runway, introduced in 2023 as a major element of our Fashion Showcase, will enhance the opportunities to work with major pageant and fashion outlets to present the colours, style and artistry of carnival,” he added.
This year’s fine art show will feature a strong representation from the Francophone Caribbean with exhibitors Krystal Ann Art Gallery representing Guadeloupe, Martinique’s Collab Studio, as well as several artists from the Republic of Haiti. Another special feature is the Artphoria exhibit featuring three contemporary Barbadian artists, presented by the Barbadian curatorial team Artiverse, in collaboration with the Bridgetown International Arts Festival.
Other Caribbean artists showcasing their works at CaFA 2024 include Meg Maguire, Ademola Olugebefola, and Afreekan Southwell of the US Virgin Islands; Carla Armour, Hilroy Fingal, Aaron Hamilton, Michael Lees, and Margeaux Larocque of Dominica; Diogenes Ballester, Ludwig Medina, Carlos Santiago, Rachel Smith Sepulveda, Christian Soto of Puerto Rico; Moses Ros from the Dominican Republic; Patricia Brintle, Charles Jean-Pierre and Gina Samson of Haiti; Bernard S. Hoyes and Barbara Russell from Jamaica; Cher Antoinette Corbin, Chris Cumberbatch, Ras Ilix Heartman, Lisame, Steve Reid, Ann Rudder, and Malique Shorey of Barbados. In addition, Guyanese artists Richlin Burnett-Ryan and Elodie Cage-Smith, Tau Battice from St Kitts & Nevis, Maxanne Rock from St Vincent & The Grenadines, Weldon Ryan and Tavernelle Wells representing Trinidad & Tobago will be exhibiting their creations in person.
Diaspora Dialogue XI will feature US artists Khuumba Ama, Philip Muzi Branch, Lisa Dubois, and S. Ross Browne. Josh Kidd will represent the UK, while ZENC artists Alberto Opoku of Ghana and Manian from Senegal will join Nigerian artist Oyebimpe Babs-Fashola from the continent of Africa.
CaFA 2024 will also include presentations and panel discussions around topics of international interest for the Caribbean, Black and global art communities. Workshops by painter S. Ross Browne and printmaker Moses Ros will be the main features on Saturday, March 9, as well as a film presentation by Guadeloupe’s Chantelea Commin, followed by a discussion between Chantelea and Jean Francois Bocle from Martinique.
Panel discussions slated for Sunday, March 10, include “Artists for Change: Supporting Climate Change Awareness in the Caribbean” with the spotlight on initiatives to address the current environmental, social, and economic impact of climate change in a most vulnerable part of the world. Martinique’s Jean Francois Bocle will perform a text on colonisation and soil exploitation, while Jocelyn Akwaba Matignon will discuss the link between archaeology and art creation – how the Native American influences Caribbean life and art.
Spoken word and Caribbean fashion will be the highlights of the Fair on Thursday, March 7 and Friday, March 8 with a mix of Barbadian and international performers, designers, and Cosmoda Runway.
“Special thanks to Export Barbados for the opportunity to exhibit at the Historic Pelican Village Craft Center, with support from the Division of Culture and the National Cultural Foundation in Barbados,” Pilgrim noted.
(PR)
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