Cecil Lee - Choices
The longest-running art fair in the region arrives in Harlem from 20 to 22 November 2026, bringing the culture of the Caribbean and the African Diaspora to its inaugural New York gathering.
For seventeen years, the Caribbean Fine Art Fair has been a home for artists, performers and makers connected to the unique culture of the Caribbean. Now it is crossing the water. From 20 to 22 November 2026, the fair makes its New York City debut at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, Ile Oyin (CCCADI), at 208 East 126th Street in Harlem. It is a moment the organisers have long hoped for, and it brings with it more than 35 artists, performers, musicians and culinary specialists.
The gathering is a broad one. Eleven Caribbean nations, along with Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and the United States, will be represented at this first New York edition, which celebrates visual art alongside music, performance, poetry and food. It is a fair built on connection, where the artists in the room are not simply exhibiting their work but sharing the stories and traditions behind it.
Among those stories are the journeys of two visual artists whose work reflects the fair’s spirit. Cecil W. Lee, known as C. Lee, creates Computer-Evolved Digital Compositions, a hybrid art form that fuses traditional techniques such as painting and photography with cutting-edge digital tools. His path as a digital artist began in the late 1980s, when he bought his first computer, captivated by the creative possibilities of a new technological frontier. Without formal training, he built his craft through years of experimentation, guided by a sharp eye for detail and a vivid use of colour that continue to define his work. Alberto Opoku, a full-time artist from Ghana in West Africa, was born in the Kumasi Ashanti Region. As a young boy, he admired nature and the way it shapes and uplifts people, and that admiration grew into a commitment to put heart and humanity into his art. His work portrays nature and offers insight into people of many races across every continent, a vision that speaks directly to the fair’s celebration of the African Diaspora.
The weekend opens on Friday, 20 November with a first viewing from 5 to 6 pm, followed by an Opening Night reception from 6 to 8 pm. Guests can expect Caribbean cuisine and the chance to meet many of the participating artists in person. It is a relaxed and welcoming way to begin, with the sense that the conversations started that evening will carry through the rest of the weekend.
Saturday, 21 November is the fair’s fullest day, running from noon to 7 pm. At 2 pm, Paris-born Guadeloupean artist and designer Pascal Marinier will display and discuss his groundbreaking Sigi`Nommo clothing line, offering a rare look at how his designs carry culture into everyday wear. At 4 pm, Barbadian spoken word artists Empress Poetry, Negus Adeyami and friends bring their “Pun De Soapbox” performance to the stage, bold and direct in the way that spoken word at its best always is. The day closes with After Hours, a celebration of culture from 7 to 10 pm.
Sunday, 22 November brings the fair to its close, open from noon to 6 pm. At 2 pm comes the New York City launch of the International Keepers of Peace programme, which is designed to foster relationships between creatives and educators across Africa, its Diaspora in the Americas, and the Caribbean. It is a meaningful step, one that puts artists and teachers in dialogue rather than leaving them to work in isolation. At 4 pm, Barbadian performance artist Aja introduces a screening of his new video, Show Dem, and speaks afterwards about his motivations and his career. It is an invitation to hear an artist explain, in his own words, why he makes the work he does.
Admission is free for students and for anyone aged 16 and under, which keeps the fair open to the young people who may one day be its next generation of artists.
The organisers extend their thanks to CCCADI, Caribbean Life TV, the Caribbean. Global online platform, Occhi Arts & Entertainment, Padmore Global Enterprises and Keepers of Peace for their support of the project.
For anyone who has ever wanted to see the Caribbean and its Diaspora celebrated in full colour, this is a weekend worth planning around. Harlem is ready to welcome it, and the fair has earned its place on the New York calendar.
For further information on the event, please visit the following links:
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