Work | Justin Reinir Croes

top of page

Justin Reinir Croes

J-C+animation+for+website+version+1.gif

Multidisciplinary Artist

E Prome Biahe (The First Journey)

🚣🍃

2024
mixed media painting
5x5x1cm
Moringa leaves and branches, binder, acrylic marker and acrylic paint on cotton canvas

Currently exhibited in @albertvanabbehuis till 5th of May 2025.

This artwork reflects on the journey of my indigenous ancestors as they moved from the mainland of Venezuela to the island of Aruba, carrying with them not only their bodies, but their languages, rituals, and resilience.

I worked for the second time with Moringa (first time was on another artwork I didn't show yet), a plant known across the Caribbean for its strength, nourishment, and quiet power to heal, also known as a Miracle Tree.
I only learned about it last year in 2024 but it has been around me my entire life, my dad chews on its seeds almost everyday for its medicinal purposes and you can buy drinks infused with the leaves around some places in Aruba.

Its leaves and branches are not just materials here in my work, they are symbols of survival, rootedness, and transformation.
They remind me of how life persists in new soil, how culture shifts but holds its core no matter the colonisation, how our stories are encoded in the plants that grow beside us.

The shape in this piece rises up like a sacred mark, a glyph of movement, of becoming.
I’m drawn to that space between old and new, between the seen and unseen, where identity is not fixed but fluid, felt, and ever-shifting.
In honoring this, I honor those who came before me and those still yet to come.

E Prome Biahe (The First Journey)

🚣🍃

2024
mixed media painting
5x5x1cm
Moringa leaves and branches, binder, acrylic marker and acrylic paint on cotton canvas

Currently exhibited in @albertvanabbehuis till 5th of May 2025.

This artwork reflects on the journey of my indigenous ancestors as they moved from the mainland of Venezuela to the island of Aruba, carrying with them not only their bodies, but their languages, rituals, and resilience.

I worked for the second time with Moringa (first time was on another artwork I didn't show yet), a plant known across the Caribbean for its strength, nourishment, and quiet power to heal, also known as a Miracle Tree.
I only learned about it last year in 2024 but it has been around me my entire life, my dad chews on its seeds almost everyday for its medicinal purposes and you can buy drinks infused with the leaves around some places in Aruba.

Its leaves and branches are not just materials here in my work, they are symbols of survival, rootedness, and transformation.
They remind me of how life persists in new soil, how culture shifts but holds its core no matter the colonisation, how our stories are encoded in the plants that grow beside us.

The shape in this piece rises up like a sacred mark, a glyph of movement, of becoming.
I’m drawn to that space between old and new, between the seen and unseen, where identity is not fixed but fluid, felt, and ever-shifting.
In honoring this, I honor those who came before me and those still yet to come.

Holo di Rucu cu Coco ( Scent of Annatto with Coconut)

🔺🥥

2022
Mixed media painting
50x50x0,5cm
Annatto (powder) and coconut (oil) on a carton board

This is an artwork I created during my time at the academy. It’s designed to release a scent that draws people in, prompting me to ask them what they’re smelling and what associations it brings to mind.
It was hung on the wall and along with different artworks I showcased this one.

The responses I usually receive, in a single word (I asked them to reply) are “tropical,” “beach,” “vacation,” “island,” and other related terms, especially from people who grew up in the Netherlands.

For me, however, the scent brings something entirely different:
earth,
nostalgia,
the kitchen,
cosmetic products,
and medicine.
Those are personal, layered memories tied to my own background of growing up on the islands of the Caribbean Sea, like Aruba and to some extend Korsou.

The material of the coconut oil I got from an aruban merchant that sells them by the side of the road, along with other coconut related treats and the delicious water of coconut itself.

Holo di Rucu cu Coco ( Scent of Annatto with Coconut)

🔺🥥

2022
Mixed media painting
50x50x0,5cm
Annatto (powder) and coconut (oil) on a carton board

This is an artwork I created during my time at the academy. It’s designed to release a scent that draws people in, prompting me to ask them what they’re smelling and what associations it brings to mind.
It was hung on the wall and along with different artworks I showcased this one.

The responses I usually receive, in a single word (I asked them to reply) are “tropical,” “beach,” “vacation,” “island,” and other related terms, especially from people who grew up in the Netherlands.

For me, however, the scent brings something entirely different:
earth,
nostalgia,
the kitchen,
cosmetic products,
and medicine.
Those are personal, layered memories tied to my own background of growing up on the islands of the Caribbean Sea, like Aruba and to some extend Korsou.

The material of the coconut oil I got from an aruban merchant that sells them by the side of the road, along with other coconut related treats and the delicious water of coconut itself.

Rucu na Quadirikiri 7 (Annatto at Quadirikiri 7)

Sinti e luz di solo
Temblando rond
Mishi cu e rayonan
Experenciando e pertenencia

Feel the sunlight
Quivering around
Touching the rays
Experiencing the belonging

📸: @nizecg
Edited by: @justinreinircroes

Rucu na Quadirikiri 7 (Annatto at Quadirikiri 7)

Sinti e luz di solo
Temblando rond
Mishi cu e rayonan
Experenciando e pertenencia

Feel the sunlight
Quivering around
Touching the rays
Experiencing the belonging

📸: @nizecg
Edited by: @justinreinircroes

Mi Caminda Consagra (My Consecrated Pathway)
Currently exhibiting at @albertvanabbehuis

👣✨

2025
mixed media painting
60x90x2,5cm
Annatto, papaya seeds, acrylic paint, gel medium, acrylic marker, and modeling paste on cotton canvas

This work is based on the walking paths that connected four important locations from my childhood and teenage years.
From bottom left to top right:
The mighty Hooiberg ⛰️ , my childhood home 🏡, the majestic watapana tree 🌲, and the sacred boulders 🪨.

Each of these places offered a form of sanctuary for me.
But most importantly, this work represents the sort of liminal spaces in between when I walked through the woods and the sandy roads to residential spaces, those are the pathways I took and the shortcuts I created.
It reflects the way I navigated Aruba on foot between Piedra Plat & Hooiberg, during my younger days.
I miss it.

I traced the steps in Google maps and thus I got this shape and a redid it on a large canvas.

Mi Caminda Consagra (My Consecrated Pathway)
Currently exhibiting at @albertvanabbehuis

👣✨

2025
mixed media painting
60x90x2,5cm
Annatto, papaya seeds, acrylic paint, gel medium, acrylic marker, and modeling paste on cotton canvas

This work is based on the walking paths that connected four important locations from my childhood and teenage years.
From bottom left to top right:
The mighty Hooiberg ⛰️ , my childhood home 🏡, the majestic watapana tree 🌲, and the sacred boulders 🪨.

Each of these places offered a form of sanctuary for me.
But most importantly, this work represents the sort of liminal spaces in between when I walked through the woods and the sandy roads to residential spaces, those are the pathways I took and the shortcuts I created.
It reflects the way I navigated Aruba on foot between Piedra Plat & Hooiberg, during my younger days.
I miss it.

I traced the steps in Google maps and thus I got this shape and a redid it on a large canvas.

TO SEA AT THE CROSSROADS
14 October 2023 - 7 January 2024

Throwback to a special moment I wanted to share when I was personally invited by @lisandrosuriel and @expositieruimte38cc to be part of an incredible exhibition at the beautiful space of 38CC.
It was an honor to share my art and story alongside other artists whose work resonated with shared lores and narratives. I’m semper grateful for the opportunity, thank you again for the ones that made it possible!

For the exhibition I created an installation titled 'Pertenencia' and performed 'RUCU', each performance I did from the beginning to then was different, evolving with the energy of the space and the moment.
I also brought some mixed media paintings to complement the installation.

Translated from Dutch from Omroep Delft:
How the past continues to influence the present and art is beautifully demonstrated in the exhibition by @expositieruimte38cc in Delft.
The exhibition To Sea at The Crossroads explores how the world can be imagined before colonialism.

Lisandro Suriel (1990, Sint Maarten) was invited by 38CC as guest curator to co-create this exhibition.
His own work forms the starting point, supplemented with work by three kindred spirits:
Justin Reinir Croes (1990, Aruba),
Ada M. Patterson (1994, Barbados), and
Sondi (1993, Cameroon).

1st slide: the video about the exhibition of To Sea at the Crossroads
2nd slide: Justin doing their performance RUCU
3rd slide: another image of RUCU, close up of Justin's face
4th slide: Justin conversing with @maanarak.art
5th slide: @piepillustrations talking with someone
6th slide: people in the space during the opening where you can see the installation Pertenencia

Check out the full video in my Linktr.ee under 'To Sea at the Crossroads - Een bijzondere expo 38CC'

TO SEA AT THE CROSSROADS
14 October 2023 - 7 January 2024

Throwback to a special moment I wanted to share when I was personally invited by @lisandrosuriel and @expositieruimte38cc to be part of an incredible exhibition at the beautiful space of 38CC.
It was an honor to share my art and story alongside other artists whose work resonated with shared lores and narratives. I’m semper grateful for the opportunity, thank you again for the ones that made it possible!

For the exhibition I created an installation titled 'Pertenencia' and performed 'RUCU', each performance I did from the beginning to then was different, evolving with the energy of the space and the moment.
I also brought some mixed media paintings to complement the installation.

Translated from Dutch from Omroep Delft:
How the past continues to influence the present and art is beautifully demonstrated in the exhibition by @expositieruimte38cc in Delft.
The exhibition To Sea at The Crossroads explores how the world can be imagined before colonialism.

Lisandro Suriel (1990, Sint Maarten) was invited by 38CC as guest curator to co-create this exhibition.
His own work forms the starting point, supplemented with work by three kindred spirits:
Justin Reinir Croes (1990, Aruba),
Ada M. Patterson (1994, Barbados), and
Sondi (1993, Cameroon).

1st slide: the video about the exhibition of To Sea at the Crossroads
2nd slide: Justin doing their performance RUCU
3rd slide: another image of RUCU, close up of Justin's face
4th slide: Justin conversing with @maanarak.art
5th slide: @piepillustrations talking with someone
6th slide: people in the space during the opening where you can see the installation Pertenencia

Check out the full video in my Linktr.ee under 'To Sea at the Crossroads - Een bijzondere expo 38CC'

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

bottom of page