In his sculptures, films, and installations, Willem de Rooij investigates the idea of “non-referential art,” developing strategies to bypass external references. For example, in Intolerance (2010), he installed 17th-century Dutch paintings of birds with 18th-century Hawaiian ceremonial objects, creating art from already existing work instead of merely referencing it. Since 2007, he has produced abstract weavings that generate meaning through material: Woven linen panels gradually shift from silver to gold, or shiny to matte black. De Rooij is also known for his conceptual film collaborations with Jeroen de Rijke (1970-2006).