In Memory of Vann Nath
A man's who's paintings spoke for themselves
Join us for the commemoration of Vann Nath
Vann Nath, a Cambodian who painted to stay alive, died on September 5th, aged 65. He was one of the handful of prisoners who survived the notorious Tuol Sleng prison, code-named ‘S-21’ under the Khmer Rouge Regime, owing his life to his talent as a painter. The cruel head of the Khmer Rouge's internal security branch, Comrade Duch found out that Vann Nath was an artist and so Vann Nath was commanded to do various paintings and sculptures of Pol Pot, the heartless leader of the Khmer Rouge. His horrifying experience at S-21 where 14,000 women, children and men were interrogated, tortured and executed triggered a life-long pursuit of justice and remembrance. It is the disturbing scenes of torture and death depicted in his paintings that truly bring to light the horrors of S-21 and the crimes of the Khmer Rouge. After regaining his freedom, Vann Nath relentlessly fought for justice for the victims of Pol Pot showing all the injustice and torture done to them through writing, interviews and his beautiful paintings.