Willem de Rooij’s expansive exhibition at the IMA reflects on the Dutch colonial presence in the Asia Pacific region and makes subtle reference to more recent instances of empire and intervention in the natural world. Rather than referring to some outside truth, the pieces in this exhibition embody meaning through their inherent material qualities. De Rooij aims to have each work communicate directly through shape, material, colour, and context. Ebb Rains is the first solo exhibition in Australia of this renowned Berlin-based Dutch artist. He is a highly influential artist and educator, through his longtime role at the respected art school, Städelschule, in Frankfurt, Germany, and a practice that spans two decades, including such prestigious acknowledgements as Prix de Rome in 1996, and representing the Netherlands at the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005.