AKP Phnom Penh, October 05, 2025 --

The National Bank of Cambodia's Preah Srey Içanavarman Museum of Economy and Money (SOSORO) has opened of its new major temporary exhibition entitled Into the Light: The Retrieved Paintings of Phnom Penh’s Silver Pagoda. 

The exhibition was unveiled on Oct. 4, during a ceremony presided over by H.E. Dr. Chea Serey, Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia, in the presence of members of the royal family, senior government officials, diplomats, and representatives of the cultural, educational, and corporate sectors. 

Thanks to the expertise of Professor Olivier de Bernon, of the École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), who serves as its scientific curator, this unprecedented exhibition unveils the remarkable rediscovery of murals once believed lost forever, restoring a chapter of Cambodia’s artistic and spiritual heritage.

For decades, the early 20th-century murals of the Silver Pagoda’s sanctuary were thought to have vanished as a result of the decades of turmoil that followed restoration works undertaken in the 1960s. 

But the recent analysis of fragile glass-plate negatives has revealed vivid photographic records of these extraordinary paintings, offering a rare opportunity to reconnect with a masterpiece of Khmer art and Buddhist devotion. 

Her Royal Highness Princess NORODOM Marie, who had been conserving the precious glass plates, has been kind enough to authorise the SOSORO Museum to use the glass plates for the exhibition.  

The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the history of the Silver Pagoda up until the disappearance and rediscovery of the murals that once adorned the walls of its sanctuary. 

It explores the paintings’ inspiration in Buddhist scriptures and Khmer traditions, the circumstances of their disappearance, and the role of photography in preserving their memory. Visitors will encounter images of the murals’ jātaka scenes — tales of the Buddha’s past lives — alongside original artefacts, historical accounts, and rare manuscripts that illuminate their cultural and religious significance.

An interactive experience also allows the public to project digital copies of the original glass-plate negatives, offering a hands-on way to explore the fine details of the murals and appreciate the remarkable precision of early photography. 

A specially crafted youth booklet will accompany the exhibition, designed to guide younger visitors through its stories and themes in an engaging way.

AKP