Latoel’s installation at CODA centres on the massive bucket of a bulldozer, a powerful image that stems from the need to face what is uncomfortable within one’s own community. Latoel: “For the production of smartphones, tablets and other devices that sustain and connect our modern lives, the land where Moluccan culture originates – the Moluccas – is being systematically destroyed. The natural world to which our ancestors were so deeply connected is being excavated, polluted and sold off in the pursuit of minerals and resources such as nickel, essential for all those devices.”

The bulldozer bucket symbolises all that is being destroyed: nature, community, identity, and truth. Around it, the artist places burnt leaves, broken objects and QR-codes that link to satellite images, revealing the human and ecological cost of nickel mining, palm oil plantations and industrial deforestation in the Moluccas. The installation exposes how the loss of land also signifies the loss of culture, language and spirituality for indigenous communities. Latoel:

“When land disappears, so do we. For Moluccans, land is not property but a living being, an ancestor, a guide. My work shows that losing that connection is a form of cultural amputation of language, knowledge and spirit.”

Visitors move through a landscape of loss, confronted with their own position and complicity. While the work is deeply rooted in the Moluccas and engages directly with questions of identity and community, it speaks to a wider audience; to anyone living in an age of technological advancement without questioning what has been sacrificed for it. Latoel: “And it is precisely there, in that discomfort, that change begins.”

Latoel describes the bulldozer bucket as a ‘monument of moral paralysis’. It embodies our collective decision to prioritise profit over life. In contrast to a memorial, this is not a place of remembrance but a site of awakening. The installation invites silence and contemplation, posing a fundamental question: Will you remain a spectator or become a guardian of what still lives?

Project group Typisch Moluks

CODA invited the project group Typisch Moluks at an early stage to contribute to the development of the Biennale Gelderland. Formed on the initiative of CODA and GIGANT, in collaboration with Theater Toko, the group nominated Dominique Latoel; a proposal that CODA wholeheartedly embraced.

About Dominique Latoel

Dominique Latoel (1980) blends elements of street art with a unique visual script inspired by the symbols of the Alifuru, the original inhabitants of the Moluccan archipelago of Melanesia. His work, ranging from paintings, murals and installations to garments, objects and Jewellery, is an exploration of identity that both embraces his Moluccan roots yet remains firmly grounded in Dutch society. Through his art, Latoel seeks to foster dialogue that encourages mutual understanding and respect.

Growing up, Latoel spent much time with family in Vaassen and Elst, communities rich in Moluccan traditions that profoundly shaped his identity and artistic vision. These close family ties and cultural heritage laid the foundation for how he interprets and reimagines Moluccan history and its future. In the late 1990s, Latoel worked as a graphic designer in Apeldoorn and was actively involved in local art initiatives. Alongside his artistic practice, he is committed to mentoring younger generations and sharing his knowledge and inspiration in a variety of ways.

Latoel has a background in graphic and multimedia design and has collaborated with brands including Levi’s, Adidas, Shimano, Nike and Patagonia. His autonomous work has been exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Open Air Museum Arnhem, and Deventer City Hall. One of five cabinets he created for artist Patricia Kaersenhout’s exhibition (H)erkennen Herbouwen during the Slavery Remembrance Year 2023 has been added to the collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Murals by Latoel can be found in Willemstad, Curaçao, and on one of Richard Branson’s Virgin Voyages cruise ships. Latoel currently lives in Deventer, the Netherlands.

About Biennale Gelderland 2025

Commissioned by the Province of Gelderland, the Biennale Gelderland takes place at various locations across the province. This recurring initiative provides a platform for contemporary art created by artists based in Gelderland. The Biennale opened at Museum Arnhem, followed by exhibitions at several museums throughout the province, including CODA Apeldoorn, Museum Villa Mondriaan in Winterswijk, Valkhof Museum in Nijmegen, and Stedelijke Musea Zutphen. For the 2025 edition, the central theme is migration. Artists from Gelderland are invited to collaborate with local communities to create new artworks inspired by this theme.