the Turtle and the Monk

A larger-than-life story about grief, nature and the magic of imagination.

The multimedia project recounts the true story of visual artist and photographer Anaïs López’ search for the golden turtle Kami, goddess of the Kamo river. A multi-layered narrative about grief, the human urge to control nature, and the magic of the imagination.

This project consists of an experimental film, an artist’s book, a performance and an exhibition. The exhibition is on view in 2026 at Scheepvaartmuseum in Amsterdam. The exhibition runs from March 5th to August 30th 2026. And at Art Rotterdam & Unseen with IBASHO Gallery from March 26th until March 29th 2026.

Golden turtle

In October 2016, photographer Anaïs López travels to Japan. Heavily pregnant and grieving the death of her sister, López is looking for a place that can offer her solace and 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.

A quest

When López returns to the Netherlands, the turtle keeps appearing in dreams. She decides to call the creature Kami, Japanese for ‘deity’. Why did Kami reveal itself to her? The encounter turns into a quest that will take many years. López returns to Japan on multiple occasions, meeting fascinating individuals who each show her a different path. What starts as a chance encounter leads to a layered tale about grief, control, nature, avarice, and the courage to let go.

The exhibition at Japan Museum SieboldHuis in Leiden.

Using photography, video, various printing techniques (gyotaku and photopolymer etching), taxidermy animals, archival images, and illustrations by Japanese artist Niwa Yuta, López takes visitors on a unique journey. The exhibition presents this journey as a four-act play, in four different rooms: there’s the initial encounter, the quest, the obsession, and the magic of imagination. The final act consists of a 33-minute video. https://www.sieboldhuis.org/tentoonstellingen/

You can also buy a unique artist book with a limited print run of 425 copies. Two books in one designed by Teun van der Heijden.

Curious about the book? Take a look at: https://anaislopez.nl/the-artistbook/