Guardians of the Threshold

Photographs from the Spirit of Angkor series by Lucas Varro

In the sacred architecture of Angkor, the naga is not mere ornament—it is guardian, threshold, and mythic bridge between realms. Carved into sandstone with coiled grace and ancient purpose, these serpents line the processional ways of the temples, their many heads flaring like lotus crowns, their bodies undulating across balustrades as if forever in motion.

Rooted in both Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, the naga once carried gods through the waters of creation and now stands sentinel at every sacred crossing. At Angkor, they mark the border between the human and the divine—protectors of silence, watchers of the unseen, timeless presences that hold the edge of light.

In this meditative collection from the Spirit of Angkor series, Lucas Varro turns his analogue cameras toward these sculpted serpents, capturing the mystery they still embody. Using large and medium format black-and-white film, each image is shaped by long exposure, chiaroscuro, and hand-toning—revealing not only the naga’s form, but its enduring stillness. A glint of dawn on weathered scales. A watchful gaze at the gate of stone.

Printed in limited editions on museum-grade Hahnemühle Bamboo paper, each photograph is accompanied by a Collector’s Print Package including poetic writings, curatorial texts, and field reflections from the artist’s quiet encounters with these mythic guardians.

This is a collection of thresholds—each naga a silent keeper of the crossing, where stone remembers what spirit never forgets.