This is the unedited version of what appeared in the newspaper, the Library did not receive the original copy CARIB ART -- Contemporary Art of the Caribbean -- The Dutch Caribbean -- The Arts Centre at Dockyard -- until June 16.

The third section of the massive Carib Art show, featuring the work of artists from the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius, St.

Maarten and Surinam) has been exhibited at the Arts Centre at Dockyard. The other three sections, representing the former colonial territories of the British, French and Spanish Caribbean, have been housed in the Society of Arts and the National Gallery at City Hall.

Obviously, these types of shows, where works are selected under heaven knows what criteria, may well feature the best of a country's output, but also much that is derivative, and sometimes, work that could hardly be classified as being of `national', let alone `international' standard.

Overall, the art of Cuba and, to a lesser extent, Puerto Rico, lingers in the memory for its sheer sense of drama, while the English-speaking Caribbean seems to have benefited -- at least in technical terms -- from enduring ties with British cultural institutions and more sustained infusions of that artistically vital `fresh blood'.

The Dutch Caribbean, on the other hand, only really opened up to the outside world with the arrival of the oil and bauxite industries in the 1920s. Since then, it would appear that many have gone on to study in the Netherlands, and more recently, several art schools and academies have been established throughout the area. Most heartening of all, is the high value placed on art, as evidenced by its being included in all school curricula.

Beautifully hung in the now very attractive Arts Centre, the first thing that grabs the attention of every visitor is the centrepiece exhibit, a marvellously vibrant sculpture by Aruba's Maritza Erasmus. Bikinied and goggled, this pendulously bosomed, massive bronzed figure of a middle-aged, yet (if I dare use the cliche) "young at heart'' surf boarder, is a powerfully realised piece of work by an artist whose work has been extensively shown in Europe as well as the Caribbean. Not surprisingly, its witty realism has entranced tourists and locals, with Arts Centre curator, Julie Hastings-Smith commenting that she could have sold this piece "a thousand times over''.

Judging from the entries in this show, Curacao (whose artistic heritage includes ancient cave paintings by native Indians) would seem to be one of the most flourishing artistic enclaves in the Caribbean. There are several works which bear close scrutiny, including Lucia Engels' large untitled oil painting of vaguely buxom figures gyrating in a swirl of jazzy colours, Yubi Kirindongo's Chrome Car Bumpers which have been given a racy new lease on life as an exuberant dancer, and Amistad, a Henry-Mooreish, beautifully crafted bronze sculpture by Norva Simon.

From St. Maarten, there is a fine figurative oil study by Cynric Griffith where the dark ebony skin of a young child is caught in a shaft of sunlight as he gazes reflectively, secure in the firm hold of his mother's arms.

Surinam, too, has a particularly strong showing, with Rudi Getrouw's richly brushed Reclining Nude. Professor at the Surinam Academy for Fine Arts, Getrouw, who trained in The Hague, reveals a strong academic tradition.

Another fine nude is the charcoal study by Ruben Karsters of a muscular figure whose head is huddled, with a sense of intense weariness, over a drawn-up knee. Most visually arresting of all, perhaps, is the large, oil and sand study by Erwin de Vries, entitled Embracement, in which two nudes stand in a whirl of an embrace, brushed in wide circular motions, its hot colours heightening a marvellous sense of energy.

Organised by the National Commission for UNESCO of the Netherlands Antilles, this travelling exhibition actually includes all countries (an amazing 32 of them) that may be determined as being part of the Caribbean (or, in the case of Bermuda, for instance, invited to participate by virtue of family, business and cultural ties).

It represents the first concerted effort to bring the art of this loosely-knit region together as a unified force, and second, to introduce itself as such to the rest of the world. It has succeeded in its first aim, and deserves to be encouraged in its second. So far, at least part of the show is destined for Paris.

The Department of Cultural Affairs (greatly assisted by the Bermuda National Gallery, the Bermuda Society of Arts and the Arts Centre at Dockyard) have performed a valuable service by bringing this unusual show to Bermuda.

Ironically, its greatest worth may be that, after all is said and seen, it underlines even more, the versatility and high standing of so many working artists on our own tiny Island. PATRICIA CALNAN