Rob Renoult is a second-generation Moluccan, who grew up in Friesland and Amsterdam. From an early age, Rob was aware of the dichotomy in his identity. The split between Northern European and Moluccan inspired one of his first installations: an NS toy train that travels back and forth between an Indonesian and a classical Greek sculpture. Intelligently dealing with image associations around identity has subsequently become a common thread in Rob's work. In his first exhibition at m.simons, Renoult showed a series of canvases in which he explores the identity of ethnic minorities. With portraits that we can suspect to be images of heroes or stereotypes, he leaves the viewer guessing about his motive. It is Rob's strength to remove the weight of complex subjects such as identity and the position of minorities. The cheerful use of color and playful attitudes give his subjects a voice. Rob knows how to give an ingenious entrance to a difficult conversation through his art.