The opening of the Lago oil refinery in late 1920’s increased prosperity on the island and brought a period of financial independence from the Netherlands. Providing the global market with almost a 10th of its processed oil, unemployment in Aruba dropped to negligible levels between the years of 1925 and 1955. As wealth and levels of prosperity increased, many fine objects and artifacts were imported to Aruba. Olga van Bochove, a multidisciplinary artist, shares her sentimental connection to her grandmother’s mirrored dish, and the significance it has had on her childhood and her art today. Throughout history, glass mirrors were a rare and expensive luxury; In the early 20th century, women in Aruba were easily able to afford mirrors and even mirrored furniture, such as this one, which did not serve the expected purpose of self- perception. This mirrored dish used to sit on Olga’s grandmother’s dresser. Its purpose was decorative, and carried perfume bottles, religious objects, an antique comb, and a hand mirror.

“The mirrored tray as a symbol of family bloodlines allowing for a reflection on memories, heritage and notions of femininity through time.”

The mirrored dish tells a story of how women in Aruba used to live and captures an instant of femininity from a time of economic prosperity, which influenced island ideals of beauty. Olga treasures this object as it reminds her of her grandmother and ties her to her own personal history. She thinks of what her grandmother used to see in it when she reached for one of her perfume bottles and relates it to what she sees in it now as a 21st century woman living in the same geographic location, but a different society. As an artist, Olga has redefined the purpose of this object by creating a unique art piece from it. Inspired by memories, bloodlines, heritage, and feminine traditions passed on between generations, she represents her connection to her grandmother by placing a braided lock of hair in the center of the dish.