Oleum Shell isla de Curaçao by TINKEBELL.
“It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to our upcoming exhibition at Landhuis Bloemhof. We believe this project is both urgent and deeply relevant to Curaçao today. With Oleum Shell isla de Curaçao, TINKEBELL. invites us to look honestly at our past, while also opening space for new ways of thinking about responsibility, healing, and the future. I warmly invite you to experience this exhibition with us and to join the conversation it sparks.” — Nicole Henriquez, Chairman, Landhuis Bloemhof Foundation.
Oleum Shell isla de Curaçao
by TINKEBELL.
Opening: Friday, January 30, 2026.
Time: 7 – 9 pm.
at Landhuis Bloemhof
Introduction by TINKEBELL. and Mo van der Have of TORCH Gallery Amsterdam.
The exhibition is showing until March 14, 2026.
About the artist
TINKEBELL. (Katinka Simonse, 1979) is known for her powerful, research-driven work at the intersection of art, activism, ecology, and storytelling. Her practice takes her to places where social, political, and environmental tensions surface — from Fukushima and refugee camps in Europe to polluted industrial landscapes across the globe.
Exploring
For this exhibition, TINKEBELL. spent 2024 and 2025 researching the history and ongoing impact of the Isla refinery and the Asfaltmeer on Curaçao. Rather than working remotely, she chose to engage directly with the site and its material legacy. Using industrial waste left behind by Shell, she made her own paint and used it to create a series of paintings depicting the mangrove forest that once thrived where the Asfaltmeer now lies.
Green Town
During her search for alternatives and future perspectives, TINKEBELL. connected with, among others, Andres Casimiri of Greentown, a local initiative focused on sustainability and regeneration. The two met on Curaçao and immediately found common ground in their shared belief that things can be done differently. From their respective positions — Casimiri as an environmental innovator and TINKEBELL. as a visual artist — they explored how art, ecology, and community-based thinking can help reimagine possibilities for damaged landscapes.
Samples of the Asfaltmeer
Alongside the paintings, the exhibition includes photographs and physical samples from the Asfaltmeer, offering visitors a rare and tangible encounter with a largely unseen chapter of Curaçao’s industrial history.
Pollution and loss
Oleum Shell isla de Curaçao transforms pollution into pigment and loss into reflection. It is an exhibition on responsibility, memory, resilience, and the role art can play in envisioning change.
The exhibition is showing until March 14, 2026.
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