The Art of Fatherhood

Fatherhood in Caribbean art appears in many forms. In The Art of Fatherhood, it is seen in gestures, in proximity, in movement and in stillness.

Across different islands and practices, artists return to it in ways that feel lived rather than defined. The works in this feature offer five readings of The Art of Fatherhood through contemporary Caribbean art.

Colors in Flux: Dreams Anew - Gavin Jordan

Jamaican artist Gavin Jordan constructs his images through a process of accumulation, building form from thousands of individual screws until a scene emerges.

In Colours in Flux: Dreams Anew, a father carries his daughter as they move through a shifting, densely coloured environment. The child holds a teddy bear close to her body. It feels like a moment in transit, like they are moving through something uncertain but held together by closeness.

Within The Art of Fatherhood, this work sits with carrying and continuation, where fatherhood is present in motion and in what is protected along the way.

A Father’s Love - Akilah Watts

Barbadian artist Akilah Watts works with layered media, combining acrylic and textured surfaces.

In this piece, the scene feels familiar, almost like a family dressed and gathered for a photograph. There is a sense that the father has called everyone together, wanting a moment with all his children held in one frame.

Within The Art of Fatherhood, the focus is on presence that is intentional. The figures sit close together, not performing emotion, but sharing space in a way that feels arranged around togetherness.

Paseando con Papá - Narcizo Rodriguez

Dominican artist Narcizo Rodriguez depicts a child held in his father’s arms, resting comfortably as he looks outward over his father’s shoulder. The father’s back faces the viewer. Behind them, palm forms and colour structure the background.

The figures are centred within a bright Caribbean setting. The child’s expression carries ease, as if nothing in the moment requires attention beyond being held.

Within The Art of Fatherhood, this becomes a study in support that does not ask to be seen. The father forms the base from which the child observes the world.

Untitled Father and Son - Kervin André

Haitian artist Kervin André presents a father holding his son in his arms. The father’s back is turned, marked with references that evoke historical imagery of violence and inherited trauma, recalling the visual legacy of slavery and its aftermath across the Caribbean.

The child wears a crown and faces forward. The composition places both figures in direct relation to the viewer, creating a tension between what has been carried and what is still forming.

Within The Art of Fatherhood, the father appears as both protector and bearer of history, while the child stands as continuation, positioned within history but not fixed by it.

Father and Newborn - Calvert Jones

St Vincent and the Grenadines artist Calvert Jones depicts a father holding a newborn child in his arms, looking down with quiet focus.

The brushwork is expressive, emphasising movement and form over background detail. The moment feels immediate, like it is happening without awareness of being observed.

Within The Art of Fatherhood, this sits at the beginning of care, where fatherhood is still forming through touch, attention and presence.

The Art of Fatherhood appears here in different forms across each work.