Art in Motion: Baha Mar Hosts 2025 FUZE Caribbean Art Fair

VIDEO HIGHLIGHT

At Baha Mar, color, texture, and sound fill the air as artists from across the Caribbean gather for the FUZE Caribbean Art Fair. The event runs from October 22 to 26 and marks a growing movement in the region’s creative landscape. FUZE, launched in 2023 as part of the Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival, brings together artists, galleries, and thinkers who believe in the power of art to connect communities and spark new ideas.

This year’s fair is the largest gathering yet. It features over a dozen galleries from across the Caribbean and beyond, including The Campus Caraïbéen des Arts in Martinique, the National Gallery of Jamaica, Alice Yard from Trinidad and Tobago, Ateliers’89 from Aruba, and Black Pony Gallery from Bermuda. The Bahamas is strongly represented with a wide mix of galleries including ArtLucaya, Galerie Lougè, CAB, ICE Gallery, Mestre Projects, the Central Bank of The Bahamas Art Gallery, The Current at Baha Mar, the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, Pro Gallery, Sixty 2 Sixty, TERN Gallery, and OCAD University’s Nassau-based program.

John Cox, FUZE Director and Creative Lead at The Current, describes the fair as a space where artists can explore fresh ways of thinking. It is not only about displaying art, but also about exchange and experimentation. The fair includes talks, demonstrations, and workshops that invite visitors to see how Caribbean art is evolving and where it might go next.

The Bahamian presence is central to that story. Many of the nation’s most recognized artists are featured, including Cox himself, as well as Dede Brown, Lavar Munroe, Angelika Wallace-Whitfield, Heino Schmid, Cydne Jasmin Coleby, Jodi Minnis, Kendra Frorup, Jessica Colebrooke, Lynn Parotti, Antonius Roberts, and Averia Wright. Each brings a unique vision shaped by Bahamian history, landscape, and memory.

Artists such as Jordon Ritchie, Amaani Hepburn, and Matthew David Rahming show how the next generation is using art to question identity and culture. Galleries like Mestre Projects, Sixty 2 Sixty, and TERN have been vital in creating space for these voices. The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas continues to play a leading role in connecting local artists with the wider Caribbean and the world.

Visitors walking through the exhibition halls can move from the bold, graphic work of Trinidad’s Christopher Cozier to the delicate ceramics of Bahamian artist Jessica Colebrooke, then on to the textured paintings of Jamaica’s Camille Chedda or the conceptual photography of Haiti’s Fabiola Jean-Louis. The variety speaks to the region’s shared energy and its diversity of form.

What makes FUZE stand out is its spirit of collaboration. It is not about competition or commercial trends. Instead, it aims to build what Cox calls “an efficient art ecosystem” that can help Caribbean artists grow and connect globally. With ticket prices ranging from $35 for a single-day pass to $300 for the full experience, the fair invites both seasoned collectors and curious newcomers to take part.

At the VIP Artist Meet & Greet that opened the fair on October 22, conversations flowed easily between painters, sculptors, photographers, and visitors. The mood was informal and full of possibility. Artists discussed process, shared ideas, and reflected on what it means to make art in a region that continues to redefine itself.

For Bahamian visitors, FUZE is a chance to see the country’s artists in conversation with peers from across the Caribbean. For international guests, it is a window into the creative force of the islands. Either way, the message is clear: art in the Caribbean is not isolated. It is connected, growing, and open to the world.

As the fair continues through the weekend, the rooms at Baha Mar hum with a shared sense of curiosity. FUZE is more than an exhibition. It is a meeting place for ideas and a reminder that the Caribbean’s story, told through art, is still unfolding.