SACRED .... and the nuns life

The beat goes on ...

SACRED .... and the nuns life joined photo exhibition by Geoff Croll & Janos Kis continuous at the Ketseraram Pagoda (next to Sokha Hotel, National Road No 6)

Date: April 7. 2010. - May 31. 2010.

Exhibition Opening Reception "Blessing Ceremony" at 7:00pm-9:00pm

Admission is free, but donations for this event are welcomed and encouraged.

All donations go directly to helping the pagoda and a "Little Nun" who was born with Down Syndrome.

The storyboard images in this exhibition are available for sale. 50% of the sales price will be offered to donate the pagoda and a "Little Nun".


The show will feature photos of the sacred tattoos of Khmer monks, by Janos Kis, juxtaposed with Geoff Croll’s photos of the daily lives of Burmese nuns.

SACRED .... and the nuns life

A busy reception opened the joint exhibition by Geoff Croll and Janos Kis at 4FACES Cafe on the first saturday of the New Year. Amongst the crowd who came to see “SACRED…. and the nuns life” was a group of seven Buddhist monks, some of whom were also the subjects of the works that peeked into their hollowed lives. Hungarian Janos Kis focuses his study on the tattoo art adorning the bodies of Cambodian monks. Shyly, highlighting how monks usually keep these tattoos hidden, one monk showed me the tattoo wending its way down his calf.

The intricate Khmer and Pali script is attended to ward off harm, and is a long standing tradition amongst Khmer monks. The harm intended to be deflected by these coded charms has recently come to include bullets and bombs.

The focus of the Scot Geoff Croll’s first exhibition was the plight of nuns in Myanmar. Although taken from seven different locations all over the country, nuns are much more visible in the Southeast Asian country than in Cambodia, says Croll. Focusing on the attractive colour palette of the nuns’ habits (pinks and reds), Croll kept a respectful distance from the women, while also allowing us a glimpse into their lives.

The evening culminated with a blessing performed by the monks themselves.

Both photographers are part of the SEA/collectiv. (AsiaLIFE Guide/Nicky Mcgavin)