Exhibition, film, performance, and book
A larger-than-life story about grief, nature and the magic of imagination.
In October 2016, photographer Anaïs López travels to Japan. Heavily pregnant and grieving the death of her sister, López looks for a place that can offer her solace and room for contemplation. She decides to head to the country’s former capital Kyoto. During a stroll along the city’s Kamo River, she spots a peculiar turtle in the middle of the stream. Its shell is flecked with gold. As soon as the turtle hears the click of López’ camera shutter, though, it dives under a rock. She doesn’t appear again. Back in the Netherlands, López keeps dreaming of the golden turtle, which she calls Kami (the Japanese word for god). Why did Kami reveal herself to her?
A years-long quest follows, during which López travels back to Japan multiple times. What began as a chance encounter evolves into a layered story about grief, control, nature, greed, and the courage to let go. The multimedia project, titled the Turtle and the Monk, is the magical travelogue of Anaïs López’s search for the golden turtle Kami, the goddess of the Kamo River. The project consists of an exhibition, a film, a live performance with an artist’s book, and a special edition book.
Exhibition
Ekō – Japan in two graphic stories runs from March 5th to August 30th.
In the promising exhibition Ekō – Japan in two graphic stories, early photographs of Japan resonate with the contemporary work of photographer and visual artist Anaïs López.
View photo albums of the Dutch consul Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek (1833-1916), including photographs by the influential British-Italian photographer Felice Beato, who collaborated with Japanese experts who hand-colored the photographs.
Japan, previously unknown territory to the West, flourished after its ports opened to international trade. European photographers created a carefully staged image of the country from a European perspective, a blueprint that can still be seen in the work of photographers and artists today.
Parallel to this, the work of Anaïs Lopez from the Turtle and the Monk is on display, which takes you on a journey through a special story using photography combined with unique printing techniques.
Portrait photograph of the Japanese warrior Shigeaki Kubota, 1864 Felice Beato / Collection of the National Maritime Museum Etching, Grasshopper in Fighting Position, 2023, Anaïs López
From March 28 to December 7, 2025, Japanmuseum SieboldHuis in Leiden will present the exhibition the Turtle and the Monk. Through photography, film, special printing techniques, archival images, and drawings by Japanese artist Niwa Yuta, López takes visitors along on her quest to find Kami. Alongside the exhibition, an extensive public program will be offered, featuring live storytelling sessions by Anaïs López, workshops, and lectures. Additionally, there will be an educational program for children, including a scavenger hunt.
Art Book
Together with designer Teun van der Heijden, Anaïs López created a special art book of the Turtle and the Monk. This bilingual publication (English and Japanese) features not only photographic work but also various gyotaku and photopolymer etchings by Anaïs López, as well as ink drawings by Japanese artist Niwa Yuta.
Starting March 1st, the Turtle and the Monk will be available for pre-sale here at a temporary price of €175 .
About the maker
Anaïs López (1981) is a Spanish-Dutch photographer and a natural storyteller. She creates multimedia stories at the intersection of fiction and documentary, using personal stories to explore universal themes.
For each project, López immerses herself in intensive, almost obsessive research, which she then translates into a layered and visually compelling narrative. She invites her audience into mythical worlds that often reveal deeper truths than may be apparent at first glance.
Her previous project, The Migrant, was nominated for a Golden Calf (Dutch Film Festival) and won two other prestigious awards: The Directors Guild Award for Best Digital Storytelling and the Silver Camera Award for Best Storytelling.
© Hans de Kort
Partners
This project was created in collaboration with Japanmuseum SieboldHuis, with the support of Naturalis Biodiversity Center.
Credits
Creator: Anaïs López
Producer: Prospektor
Project Management: Vera Bachrach
Creative Producers: Eefje Blankevoort
Exhibition & Book Design: Teun van de Heijden
Illustrations: Yuta Niwa
Exhibition Texts: Anaïs López, Vera Bachrach, Japanmuseum SieboldHuis
Book Texts: Anaïs López, Jolein Laarman
Text Editing: Harminke Medendorp
English Text Editing: Alice Tetley-Paul
English Translation: Eva Corijn
Japanese Translation: Norihiro Terazawa Terra
Lithography: Thijme & Szafranska
Printer: Rob Stolk
Made possible by
This project was made possible by the Mondriaan Fund, the Netherlands Film Fund, the Boumeester Fund, Stichting Oog op Natuur, the Anna Cornelis and Diane van Marel Fund, Fonds21, Zabawas, the Jaap Harten Fund, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Leiden University, the Municipality of Leiden, the Isaac Alfred Ailion Foundation, Leiden: City of Discoveries, and the Friends of Japanmuseum SieboldHuis.