Bernard S. Hoyes’ 2019 acrylic and oil painting (size: 24 x 30 in), named “Caribbean Utterance.” This is one of the artworks featured in the auction presented by Calabar Gallery and the Caribbean Fine Art Fair (CAFA).
Photo by Bernard S. Hoyes
Calabar Gallery and CAFA Art Fair partnered to present an art auction highlighting the work of emerging artists from the Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora internationally. The auction was held from Dec. 2 – 8.
The online auction on Calabar Gallery’s platform, showcased 24 – 30 artworks from the two spaces. The gallery represents underserved artists locally and globally: African, African American, and Caribbean artists. Its mission is to provide a place for community, exhibition, creative initiatives, and projects.
Damien Jélaine, who was born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, in 1991, was an artist whose work was featured in this auction. Jélaine’s photographs reflect a search for a delicate balance between captivating beauty and unspeakable brutality, ultimately attempting to forge a unique artistic language that is simultaneously ruthless and tender.
Bernard Stanley Hoyes now lives and works in California. Hoyes’ career in art began at an early age in Kingston, Jamaica, when he enrolled at The Institute of Jamaica, Junior Art Center.
Hoyes’ works have been featured in numerous television and film productions and collected internationally. Most recently, the City of Palm Springs commissioned him to create his “Diversity” steel sculpture as part of the Pillars of Palm Springs public art installation.
Atim Annette Oton, founder of Calabar Gallery, said, “The auction is an opportunity to add Caribbean art into your home and art collection. Collaborating with CAFA has allowed us to increase the number of artists and exposure for the galleries to our audiences. I decided this would be an opportunity to stimulate more interest in Caribbean art and showcase Caribbean artists.”
Oton is a Nigerian-born, American- and British-educated designer turned curator who grew up in Nigeria with her mother collecting and buying contemporary art in Lagos, Ibadan, Eugu, and Calabar. The gallery showcases contemporary African Artists and African Diaspora artists globally.
Anderson Pilgrim, co-founder of the Caribbean Fine Art Fair (CAFA), stated, “I am honored to be involved in this Caribbean art auction as we celebrate these artists’ creativity, quality, and achievements. At Diaspora Now and Caribbean Fine Art Fair, our mission is to provide opportunities for artists of the Caribbean and the African Diaspora to exhibit their talent and be valued for their work and contributions to the world of visual art.”
Pilgrim is the executive director of the Caribbean Fine Art Fair-Barbados, a curated exposition of visual arts by well-established and emerging Caribbean artists. He is also the President of Diaspora Now Inc., a fine art advisory service provider he founded in 1996.
Through this auction, the galleries are ensuring a Caribbean Art presence during the week of Art Basel Miami and stimulating more curiosity about Caribbean art.