Ritau van Koudewater, also known by the proper name Li Ruitao.

Born in 1995, Nanjing, China. Lives in ’s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.

Works everywhere.

I began making art at a young age, but it was not until 2020 that I decided to be an artist. I was educated traditionally and trained as a heritage conservator, and hence was deeply influenced by classical art. Meanwhile, personally, I’ve been investigating onto-theological issues for years. These have become the framework of my artistic creation.

Essentially, in my work, I seek connections between the cultural past and present and the individual’s inner experiences, to reflect on the paradoxical core of the human condition. From the perspective of aesthetic, I draw inspiration from Chinese and Tibetan artistic traditions, European medieval art, and more recent figures such as Sofia Gubaidulina, Bas Jan Ader, and Erzsébet Baerveldt. Currently, I am working on performance, video, drawing, and chanting, and sometimes combine them. However, regardless of the medium, I pursue methodological clarity and precision to communicate with my audience directly.

What’s more, I've continued researching and writing theoretically. To me, research is an integral part of artmaking and vice versa. My earlier interests lay in iconography, Zen, and existentialism. My current research is about the concept of the Outside/Inside in the Derridean sense, where the trace constantly haunts the interplay between presence and absence.

What’s more, I’m a singer dedicated to pre-Gregorian chant and an enthusiastic outdoor swimmer.

Education

2023—2025 MFA (cum laude) in Visual Arts and Post-Contemporary Practice, MIVC | St. Joost, Avans, NL

2015—2019 BA in Art Appreciation and Collection (currently Department of Cultural Relic Protection and Restoration), China Academy of Art, CN

Exhibitions

2025 Boatwalkers, Ears to the Ground, graduation show, MIVC | St. Joost, Clublokaal, Breda, NL

2024 Kliko Piece, Troubled Waters, WerkWarenhuis, ’s-Hertogenbosch, NL

2024 Let the Coin Decide, OPEN DOOR, Clublokaal, Breda, NL

2019 Study of the Sky Burial Images, “Youth, View, The World” First Zhijiang International Youth Art Week, Hangzhou, CN

Grants/Awards

2025 EKP Excellence in Research Award, EKP Den Bosch, NL

Selected Press

2025 Metropolism_mag, Graduation 2025, NL

Memberships

2024—present Member, Centre Itinérant de Recherche sur les Musiques anciennes, Moissac, FR