Wednesday, January 09, 2008

S-21 Paintings # 3

A wooden water bath was used to extract confessions at Tuol Sleng
Prisoners are led blindfolded to their execution at Choeung Ek
Vann Nath depicts the execution of prisoners at Choeung Ek, on the city's outskirts
Another scene depicting the cruelty of the Khmer Rouge cadre
This final photo shows the Khmer Rouge cadre giving no mercy to anyone, children included
The final 5 paintings by artist Vann Nath, that currently hang in Block D at Tuol Sleng/S-21 in Phnom Penh. Vann Nath completed them at the back-end of 1979 for the international visitors that were taken around in groups before it's doors were opened to all, the following year. His paintings and his experiences, recorded in a book about his life at S-21, have made his name synonymous with Tuol Sleng in the eyes of many western journalists and visitors. He also featured heavily in Rithy Panh's award-winning docu-film on S-21. His paintings at S-21 have now been put into glass-frames, hence the reflections you can see on some of the photos. The photos complete my photo-documentary of my recent visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

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