Ekō - Japan in two visual narratives

In two visual narrativs, early photographs of Japan from the museum's own collection, including those by Felice Beato, echo in the contemporary work of photographer and visual artist Anaïs López.

Felice Beato

Photography flourished in Japan after the country opened its ports to international trade in 1859. As gateways to areas still unknown to the West, port cities were inextricably linked to photography. The photographs collected there by Dutch consul Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek (1833-1916) are among the oldest in Japan. The influential British-Italian photographer Felice Beato (1832-1909) created a carefully staged image of Japan from a European perspective, which met the expectations of a Western audience. The dissemination and repetition of his images created a visual blueprint of a supposedly exotic country. That blueprint continues to influence photographers and artists to this day.

Echo 

When artist Anaïs López travelled to Japan in 2016, she too unconsciously carried Beato's images in her mind. In search of the golden turtle Kami, López followed the Kamo River and ventured into the mountains. Beato's images resonate in her photography like an echo (Ekō) from the distant past. During her search, she was inspired by a Japanese artist and centuries-old techniques, after which a new visual language unfolds. In The Turtle and the Monk, López turns her gaze inward in a layered narrative about grief, the urge to control nature, and the magic of imagination.

The consul and the photographer

The exhibition features the three photo albums that Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek left behind from his time in Japan. Among them is the oldest album produced by Beato in Japan (1863). In his later Views of Japan (1868), Beato collaborated with Japanese experts from (woodblock printing) studios, who coloured the photographs by hand, building on existing Japanese visual traditions. 

The photographs in De Graeff's albums are of great cultural and historical value. They were produced during the Bakumatsu, the period in which Japan rapidly transformed from a feudal state into a modern empire. De Graeff's albums serve as a primary source for research into early photography in Japan. In the exhibition, the museum highlights the role that the Dutch diplomat played in the creation of Beato's early images. 

Anaïs López – The Turtle and the Monk

Parallel to this, the work of Anaïs López (1981) from The Turtle and the Monk is on display. Using photography combined with special printing techniques, such as gyotaku and photopolymer etching, López takes visitors on a unique journey.

López creates multimedia narratives at the intersection of fiction and documentary, addressing universal themes through personal stories. 

An artist's book of the same name, The Turtle and the Monk​​​​​​, is available for purchase in the museum shop. Also available is In het licht van de rijzende zon (In the Light of the Rising Sun): The Photo Albums of Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek, 1857–1869, written by Sara Keijzer, curator of the exhibition.

Ekō - Japan in two visual narratives will be on display from 5 March 2026 to 30 August 2026.

The Turtle and the Monk was produced by Prospektor.