TROPO CARIBE 003 (2022) Dutch domestic garden iron fence, asymmetrical wooden table, complete seasoning. Variable measurements.

This work reflects on the complex intersection between hospitality, migration, and tourism in a context such as Aruba, where I lived and worked as a chef for several years. The installation features an asymmetrical wooden table, symbolizing the act of sharing and inclusion through gastronomy, becoming the center of the hospitality experience. In contrast, the iron fence acts as a reminder of the borders and limitations that migrants face, suggesting both the protection of private spaces
and the social exclusion that can arise in tourist environments.

The complete seasoning, a typically North American product, is incorporated as a sensory component that permeates the exhibition space with its aroma, evoking the island’s gastronomic context. This seasoning, which visually blends in with the beach sand, underscores my experience as a migrant and cook, while also referring to the dynamics of consumption in tourism, where local identity can be diluted or transformed.

Through these elements, I seek to problematize the nature of hospitality, exploring its links to the precarious working conditions of migrants and their desires for belonging and recognition in an environment that, although open, often reflects tensions between inclusion and exclusion. In TROPO CARIBE 003, I want viewers to consider the complexities of hospitality and identity in a globalized world, where gestures of openness can coexist with structures of control.