Sanctuary Above the Sacred Waters

Photographs from East Mebon – Spirit of Angkor series by Lucas Varro

Once surrounded by the now-vanished waters of the East Baray, East Mebon rose like an island-temple—its towers reflections of the divine cast upon a vast, sacred reservoir. Though the waters have long receded, the temple still holds the memory of stillness, of vast sky mirrored in stone, of elephants standing guard over the turning of centuries.

Dedicated to Shiva and built upon a quiet axis of reverence and ascent, East Mebon offers not spectacle, but serenity. Light here moves with grace, washing over worn sandstone lions and weathered devatas with the hush of something remembered.

In this collection, Lucas Varro brings his analogue cameras to the elevated quiet of East Mebon. Each image—captured on black-and-white film and shaped through long exposure, chiaroscuro, and hand-toning—evokes not only the form of this sacred place, but the spirit that breathes within it. A solitary guardian in early light. A meditating figure cradled by time. The echo of water where none remains.

Printed in limited edition on museum-grade Hahnemühle Bamboo paper, each photograph is accompanied by a Collector’s Print Package including poetic writings, curatorial insights, and reflections drawn from the artist’s solitary field visits.

This is East Mebon as it exists in stillness—an island of stone, suspended in memory and light.