Rumi Kunst Instituut (RKI), named after the 13th century scholar Rumi, was founded in Rotterdam in 2008 by Dr. Refii Kileci. Initially coming into existence as a gallery and a learning center for Paper Marbling (Ebru) and Calligraphy, our institute has evolved to become a platform of arts with a focus on traditional oriental art forms. We have participated in numerous prestigious exhibitions such as the Museumnacht at Boijmans van Beuningen and others around the world to promote these traditional art forms. Our activities were visited by public figures such as Eberhard van der Laan (ex-Mayor of Amsterdam) and the Dutch Queen Beatrix.
Today we offer workshops and comprehensive courses, organize exhibitions and participate in various cultural events. We have also been the first organization to use Paper Marbling as part of creative art therapy, working closely with a number of psychology clinics in the Netherlands.
We believe that a consistent representation and a revised interpretation of these art forms will play a crucial role in enriching the multicultural society in the Netherlands and around the world.
Rumi Kunst Instituut has an on-going collaboration with Stichting Firmitas, who is a supporter of our cultural activities.
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“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”
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Nur manages our social media presence and coordinates all our communication, courses, workshops and events. She has studied at Hogeschool Rotterdam, and has been practicing the art of paper marbling ever since she was a child.
Refii is the founder of the Rumi Kunst Instituut. Born in Istanbul, he has been practicing traditional Islamic Arts since his childhood with the greatest artists of their fields such as Hamid Aytac, Kemal Batanay, Niyazi Sayin, Mustafa Duzgunman and others. He also holds a PhD in religious studies and has lectured at different universities in various countries.
He considers it his personal goal to promote the oriental arts in Europe and contribute to the continuous flourishment of a multicultural society.
Cengiz is a multi-instrumentalist, music technologist and composer who's work is characterized with smooth transitions between contemporary and authentic musical spheres.
His main instruments are the Nay and electronic synthesizers, although he is also familiar with the practice of all kinds of instruments from the middle east part of the world. This makes him a musical bridge between authentic and contemporary music
We collaborate with Edsko for his extensive experience of Chinese Calligraphy. He started his journey into calligraphy when he lived in Nánchāng, under the tutelage of master calligrapher Xiǎolóng Wàn (万晓龙). He began with the study of regular script, but is now focused on the semi-cursive script of the famous 13th century artist Mèngfǔ Zhào (赵孟頫). He also holds a PhD in advanced type systems for programming languages from Trinity College in Dublin and his works have been widely published in international journals. Follow us for his next workshop session.
Wilma is representing hand lettering art and Latin Calligraphy at our institute as a collaborating artist. She has taught at different institutions and participated in various exhibitions in the Netherlands. She also works on commission besides her calligraphy classes at our institute. Make sure to check our course and workshop catalogue to receive training from a passionate artist.
Anissa is kunsthistorica gespecialiseerd in kunst uit de wereld van de islam. Ze heeft kunstgeschiedenis gestudeerd aan de Universiteiten van Nijmegen en Granada en heeft ervaring opgedaan in o.a. het Rijksmuseum , Kunstmuseum Den Haag en het Alhambra. Momenteel is ze als freelancer werkzaam in de museale en cultuur-educatieve sector.
