New Bophana exhibition explores the art and memory of Vann Nath

A new exhibition at Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center brings together the paintings, recorded voice and audiovisual memories of Cambodian artist Vann Nath, 15 years after his death.

Vann Nath: Paintings of Memory, presented in collaboration with Vann Nath’s family, runs from 11 September to 11 October 2026 at Bophana in Phnom Penh.

The exhibition brings together a selection of Vann Nath’s paintings preserved in Cambodia, including works held by his family and others on loaned from friends and collectors. Bophana Center presents these alongside audiovisual materials from their archives, allowing visitors to encounter Vann Nath through his paintings, testimony, recorded voice and reflections on art and memory.

Remembering Vann Nath as an artist

Vann Nath is widely remembered as one of the few known survivors of S-21, the Khmer Rouge security prison in Phnom Penh. His artistic ability contributed to his survival after he was assigned to work in the prison’s artists’ workshop.

Following the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, Vann Nath returned to painting. His depictions of imprisonment, torture, hunger and death at S-21 became some of the best-known visual testimonies of the atrocities committed under Democratic Kampuchea.

Paintings of Memory, however, also invites audiences to discover more of his life and work.

Throughout his life, Vann Nath continued to paint portraits, landscapes, everyday scenes and the world around him. The exhibition presents these works alongside paintings connected to S-21 and historical memory, drawing attention not only to Vann Nath as a survivor and witness, but also to his wider artistic practice.

Sopheap Chea, Executive Director of Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center, said the exhibition seeks to create a space where younger generations can engage with Vann Nath’s art, testimony and legacy while discovering a broader view of his life as an artist.

Connecting paintings, voice and memory

A distinctive element of the exhibition is the way Vann Nath’s paintings are presented in dialogue with audiovisual archives.

Bophana Center’s archives includes recordings of him speaking about his paintings, his experiences, memory and the responsibility of transmitting history. Bringing these materials together allows visitors to encounter not only later interpretations of his life, but also his own voice and reflections.

The exhibition therefore raises a broader question about how memory continues when the person who carried it is no longer present.

Paintings, recordings, films and archives can preserve different dimensions of a person’s experience. Making these materials accessible gives new generations opportunities to encounter those experiences directly, explore their meaning and develop their own relationships with these histories.

For Vann Nath’s family, the exhibition is also an act of remembrance. His youngest son, Channarong Vann, describes preserving his father’s work and stories not simply as looking back, but as carrying forward what he left behind for future generations.

Preserving audiovisual heritage for future generations

Paintings of Memory forms part of Bophana’s continuing work to preserve Cambodia’s audiovisual heritage and make it accessible to the public. The exhibition also coincides with Bophana’s 20th anniversary year.

During the exhibition, Bophana will organise public and educational activities bringing together artists, filmmakers, researchers, students and young people to reflect on Vann Nath’s artistic legacy, historical testimony and the role of art and archives in carrying memory forward.

The exhibition is part of Enhancing the Preservation of Audiovisual Memory and Youth Empowerment, with financial support from the French Government through the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the Henry Luce Foundation, Rei Foundation Limited, and Friends of Bophana through Myriad USA.

Through this support, RFL contributes to work that helps preserve Cambodia’s audiovisual heritage while creating opportunities to explore the country’s history, art and memory and consider their significance today.

Vann Nath: Paintings of Memory

11 September – 11 October 2026

Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center, Phnom Penh