11/10/2026
ara contemporary is pleased to share Ipeh Nur’s participation in TOKYO ATLAS International Exhibition, under the artistic direction of Miki Akiko, presenting ‘Soil Time; The Battle of Giant Serpent and White Crocodile’.
Conceived as a landscape of excavation, the work reveals layers of memory and history embedded within the soil, from ancient geological formations and colonial wounds to present-day ecological disasters and speculative futures.
Drawing from her journey along the ancient Muria Strait on Java’s northern coast, Ipeh Nur traces how sedimentation, colonial-era deforestation and continued industrial development have transformed the landscape. Once submerged beneath water, the region now faces recurring floods and rising sea levels, revealing the enduring consequences of human intervention in nature.
At the intersection of land, history and mythology, Ipeh Nur revisits ‘The Legend of the Giant Serpent and the White Crocodile’, reinterpreting it not merely as folklore, but as a cultural marker, a metaphor for disaster mitigation and a symbol of resistance. Through this work, she questions whether mythology might once again serve as a form of protection or resistance, as it did for ancestors seeking to make sense of natural forces.
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Underground Parking Lot
Aomi 2-chome, Koto-ku, Tokyo (within Aomi Minami Port Park)
