A model of the Silver Pagoda, where the murals were once a centrepiece. - Supplied
PHNOM PENH: The Preah Srey Içanavarman Museum of Economy and Money, better known as the Sosoro Museum, has opened a new temporary exhibition. “Into the Light: The Retrieved Paintings of Phnom Penh’s Silver Pagoda,” reveals a long-lost chapter of Cambodia’s artistic and spiritual history.
The exhibition was inaugurated during an Oct 4 ceremony, presided over by Chea Serey, governor of the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), in the presence of members of the royal family, senior government officials, diplomats and cultural representatives.
“The exhibition centres on rediscovered murals from the Silver Pagoda’s sanctuary, once thought to have been lost forever following restoration work in the 1960s and the subsequent decades of national turmoil,” according to the Museum.
It said the murals, painted in the early 20th century, depicted jataka scenes — stories recounting the previous lives of the Buddha — and were considered masterpieces of Khmer religious art.
Their unexpected reemergence came through the discovery of fragile glass-plate negatives, carefully preserved by Her Royal Highness Princess Norodom Marie.
These religious murals from the Silver Pagoda were once thought to have been lost; the discovery of photographic plates has allowed a new generation to enjoy them. - Supplied
These negatives, which document the murals in remarkable photographic detail, were analysed under the guidance of Professor Olivier de Bernon of the Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), who serves as the exhibition’s scientific curator.
“This exhibition is more than an art display — it’s the recovery of a missing piece of our national memory,” Serey said during the opening ceremony.
“It connects us once again to the spiritual and cultural richness of our past, and reminds us of the resilience of Cambodian heritage,” she added.
The exhibition walks visitors through the history of the Silver Pagoda, the disappearance and rediscovery of its murals, and the role of photography in safeguarding cultural treasures.
Alongside historical accounts, artefacts and manuscripts, digital installations allow visitors to project and explore the glass-plate images interactively, bringing the intricate murals back to life in vivid detail.
A special booklet has also been created to help younger audiences engage with the exhibition’s themes through storytelling and visuals.
Located on Street 102, the SOSORO Museum invites the public to experience Into the Light free of charge, open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 6pm.
The exhibition will run for five months, offering scholars, students and art lovers alike a rare opportunity to reconnect with a rediscovered treasure of Cambodia’s Buddhist and artistic legacy. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
