Memory Revived: Van Nath Exhibition Showcases Khmer Rouge Atrocities

The Bophana Center is organizing an exhibition of "Memory Paintings" by Mr. Van Nath, which will run for one month from September 11 to October 11, 2026. The exhibition aims to commemorate his works and pass on these memories to future generations. Mr. Van Nath was one of the few prisoners who survived the S-21 security center of the Khmer Rouge regime. His survival was due to his role as a painter; he was tasked with drawing portraits of Pol Pot and other Khmer Rouge leaders. In a surviving list of prisoners, his name was marked with a red pen as "to be kept for use." In the exhibition hall on the ground floor of the Bophana Center in Boeung Rang, Daun Penh district, Phnom Penh, the voices from a documentary about Mr. Van Nath echo alongside numerous paintings displayed for the public. Although Mr. Van Nath has passed away, his paintings and voice continue to live on, reminding future generations of the suffering of the Cambodian people during the Khmer Rouge era. The paintings on display have been collected from benefactors who were friends and supporters of Mr. Van Nath, including Ms. Soko Phay, Mr. Yvon Chalm, Dr. Helen Jarvis, and especially Mr. Jim Mizerski (deceased in 2020), who purchased and returned the works to Mr. Van Nath's family before returning to the United States. In addition to the paintings, the public can also view documentary videos, news reports, and audio messages from Mr. Van Nath, accessible via QR codes placed on the walls of the exhibition hall. Mr. Van Nath passed away on September 5, 2011, at the age of 65 in Phnom Penh. He was arrested and detained at the S-21 security center on January 7, 1978, exactly one year before the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime. His testimony served as crucial evidence against the S-21 prison chief, Kang Kek Iew, also known as Duch, leading to Duch's imprisonment until his death on September 2, 2020. Article by Hun Sirivaddhan