RIJKSDOM

In collaboration with architect Jonilla Dorsten

Idea and design for the Rijksstudio Award.

A temporary installation of Rembrandt’s Man in Oriental Clothing, recreated in blooming tulips beneath the approach paths to Schiphol—spanning an area roughly the size of 40 football fields. This project brings iconic Holland to life: Rembrandt, the Rijksmuseum, and the famous tulip fields.

Inspired by the vast digital Wunderkammer of Rijksstudio, we sought a playful way to bring an iconic masterpiece outdoors on a grand scale-harmonizing with the landscape and blending seamlessly into the environment. This painting perfectly fits our concept: Rembrandt’s free play of light, the story it tells, and the turban—a symbol of the 17th-century tulip trade and the origin of the name ‘tulip.’

The installation brings the grandeur of the Rijksmuseum into the open air, serving as a magnificent welcome for travelers. The tulips will recreate Rembrandt’s painting along the approach route to Schiphol, visible from planes, set against the vibrant colors of Holland’s iconic fields.

It will bloom in spring, a temporary yet cyclical work: after flowering, the colors fade, but the bulbs continue to develop. By summer’s end, the largest will be harvested, numbered, and sold as a limited edition in the museum—making tulip bulbs exclusive once more, as in the Golden Age.

A QR code will allow visitors in the fields and at the Rijksmuseum to view a live feed from above.