Vincent Ruijters kinetic art installation blends light, shadow, and fabric to honour his Chinese-Indonesian roots, engaging viewers in a dialogue about the ancestry and hybrid cultures

RIYADH: Dutch artist Vincent Ruijters takes centre stage at Noor Riyadh, the annual Saudi festival of light and art, with a deeply personal exploration of heritage, ethnicity, and identity. Running until December 14, the festival provides a platform for Ruijters to present his kinetic installation, “Selintas Selalu,” a work that combines steel structures, red fabric, and intricate lighting to reflect his Chinese-Indonesian lineage.

Located in the Jax District, one of the festival’s key venues, the installation features a central steel structure adorned with strips of red fabric suspended from vein-like rods, while sun-shaped lamps evoke traditional Indonesian kembang kelapa decorations. The exhibit’s motif draws from the Peranakan culture, a unique blend of Chinese and Indonesian influences, which forms a significant part of Ruijters’ maternal heritage.

“This is telling my own story in a very personal way, but by doing that, I hope to connect with people from all walks of life,” Ruijters explained. His work stems from three months of research in Indonesia, inspired by his mother’s seventh-generation Indonesian roots, and aims to reconnect younger generations of Chinese-Indonesians living in the Netherlands with their ancestry.

Vincent Ruijters Kinetic Art process is deeply collaborative, as he worked alongside Indonesian and Dutch engineers and batik artisans to create the red fabric integral to the installation. The fabric’s vivid red hue, emblematic of Peranakan culture, was crafted in a traditional batik house, highlighting the fusion of art and craftsmanship.

The installation’s symbolic centrepiece—a light suspended at the core—represents Ruijters’ ancestral roots, while its gradual movement signifies the passage of time and the evolution of cultural identity. The branching structures that extend from the central light illustrate the divergence from traditional roots to contemporary life, capturing the complexities of heritage and self-discovery.

Shadowplay plays a crucial role in the piece, offering a metaphor for the intangible connection to one’s past. “You can feel your ancestry, the past shivering and whispering to you. Shadow is a beautiful way of expressing that—it’s there, but also not,” Ruijters remarked, emphasising the ephemeral yet enduring nature of cultural memory.

Noor Riyadh’s theme, “Our Land. Our Future,” resonates deeply with Ruijters’ work, which bridges his personal narrative with a broader exploration of cultural hybridity. His installation invites viewers to reflect on their own identities, fostering a sense of continuity between past and present through art that is as visually compelling as it is emotionally resonant.