Curacao was a colony of the Netherlands from 1791 to 1954. In 1919 Curacao owned the largest oil refinery in the world. The oil was extracted in Maracaibo (Venezuela) and transported to strategical located Curacao by the Curaçaosche Scheepvaart Maatschappij, subsidiary of the Curaçoasche Petroleum Industrie Maatschappij (Shell). The April Murder Vases are part of my ongoing artistic research into the layered histories connected to Curaçao’s oil industry and the presence of migrant workers from China in the early twentieth century. Many Chinese stokers worked under extremely demanding conditions in the engine rooms of oil tankers, where temperatures could rise to 55°C.  With this series, I reflect on a largely overlooked chapter of shared history, honoring the resilience, contribution, and lived experiences of Chinese workers whose presence formed part of the social and industrial development of Curaçao.
In February 1942, the number of sea incidents on the CSM shipping route increased and Chinese workers died. In addition, the Germans torpedoed ships with their U-boats (submarines). The fear this aroused among the Chinese, combined with their poor position within the company, led them to lay down their work en masse on February 24, 1942 in order to negotiate better working conditions. But it was war. The CSM requested the Curacao government to arrest these men on the basis of labor obligation; Strike was prohibited because of the importance of the fuel for the war.