SAN NICOLAS, Aruba — The Karen Cheung Aruba Art Fair return is set for September 11–13, 2026, as the Hong Kong artist brings her latest “Mahjong Wanderlust – Aruba Theme” collection back to the island seven years after participating in the fair in 2019.
Cheung, who works under the name Karen Aruba Art, will present physical artworks from the collection together with four collaborative photographs during the ninth edition of the Aruba Art Fair in San Nicolas.
The exhibition connects traditional Hong Kong mahjong craftsmanship with Aruba’s landscapes, culture and natural identity.
Cheung will not personally attend this year’s event, according to information released about the exhibition, but her original works will be displayed throughout the fair.
Karen Cheung Aruba Art Fair Collection Returns
The Karen Cheung Aruba Art Fair exhibition forms part of this year’s broader “Nature × Mankind” theme.
The official Aruba Art Fair program says the 2026 edition will take place from September 11 through September 13, with activities scheduled from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
More than 100 local and international artists are expected to participate in galleries, installations, live art and other cultural activities across San Nicolas.
Cheung’s Aruba-themed collection fits the theme by combining generations of human craftsmanship with images inspired by the island’s natural environment.
Mahjong Craftsmanship Meets Aruba Landscapes
“Mahjong Wanderlust – Aruba Theme” was developed through a collaboration between Cheung and her father, Ricky Cheung, an experienced traditional mahjong tile craftsman in Hong Kong.
Their work combines traditional hand carving with contemporary illustration and hand-painted design.
Karen Cheung has spent years incorporating mahjong into her artwork as a way of preserving and reinterpreting a craft closely connected to her family’s history.
For the Aruba collection, she designed mahjong pieces influenced by the island’s landscapes and cultural identity.
The supplied exhibition information says Cheung developed the Aruba concepts beginning in 2024 before working with her father to transform them into physical tiles.
Aruba Photographs Add Another Dimension
The finished pieces were also photographed in Aruba in collaboration with Aruba-based photographer Elnathan Hijmering.
Four photographs from that collaboration are expected to accompany the physical artwork at the fair.
The images place the mahjong pieces within recognizable Aruba settings, connecting the traditional Asian craft directly with the environment that inspired Cheung’s designs.
The project uses art to create a visual connection between Hong Kong and Aruba rather than treating the two cultures as separate influences.
Artist Has Long Personal Connection to Aruba
Cheung’s connection with Aruba began long before her professional art career.
She spent part of her childhood on the island with her family during the late 1980s and attended primary school in Dakota.
Those memories later influenced the name Karen Aruba Art and became a recurring theme in her creative work.
In 2019, Cheung participated in the Aruba Art Fair with works examining her childhood experiences in Hong Kong and Aruba.
Her return in 2026 therefore continues a relationship with the island that has influenced her artwork for many years.
Aruba Art Fair Runs September 11–13
The Karen Cheung Aruba Art Fair exhibition will be part of a wider three-day celebration of art, culture and creativity in San Nicolas.
The 2026 Aruba Art Fair is the ninth edition and will explore the relationship between humanity and nature through murals, installations, galleries and live performances.
Cheung’s contribution brings another international perspective to that theme by linking traditional Hong Kong craftsmanship with Aruba’s landscapes and her own childhood memories.
Her “Mahjong Wanderlust – Aruba Theme” collection will be displayed during the Aruba Art Fair from September 11 through September 13, 2026.
