IBASHO is proud to present ‘The turtle and the monk’, a multimedia project by the Dutch visual artist and photographer Anaïs López which follows the true fairy tale of her search for the golden turtle Kami, the goddess of the Kamo river. A layered story about mourning, the human urge to control nature and the magic of imagination.
In October 2016, photographer Anaïs López travels to Japan. Heavily pregnant and affected by the loss of her sister, López goes in search of solace and reflection. She decides that Kyoto, the former capital with a rich past, is the best place to be at that moment. During a walk along the river Kamogawa, she sees a golden turtle in the middle of the river with a stick in its mouth. As soon as she hears the click of Anaïs's camera, the turtle dives into the water and disappears under a rock.
When she returns to the Netherlands, López continues to dream about the golden turtle, which she calls kami (the Japanese word for god). Why did Kami show itself to her? This encounter marks the beginning of a years-long quest. López travels back to Japan several times and meets special people there, each of whom shows her a different path. What began as a chance encounter grows into a layered story about grief, control, nature, greed and daring to let go.
Using photography, film and special printing techniques (gyotaku and photopolymer etching) López takes visitors on a unique visual journey. Screenings of her 33-minute film ‘the Turtle and the Monk’, will be scheduled during the Antwerp Art Weekend from 29 May - 1 June 2025. López will also do two immersive storytelling performances with her artist book on Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June at 2 p.m.
Anaïs López is a born storyteller who, with her photo and multimedia projects, takes the viewer into an often fabulous world that seems unbelievable, but turns out to be closer to the truth than you might think at first glance. Her previous project 'The Migrant' was nominated for a Golden Calf (Netherlands Film Festival) and won two other prestigious awards: The Directors Guild Award for best digital storytelling and the Silver Camera Award for Storytelling 2018. ‘The turtle and the monk’ can also be admired at Japanmuseum Sieboldhuis Leiden until 7 December 2025.
Furthermore, an edition book of the project will be available, which includes various gyotaku and photopolymer etchings by López, as well as her photographic work. It also contains several drawings by Japanese artist Niwa Yuta.
Artists: Anaïs López
