The Spirit in Stone – Statues of Angkor

Photographs from the Spirit of Angkor series by Lucas Varro

In the sacred spaces of Angkor, statues do not simply stand—they dwell. Rooted in shadow, softened by centuries of rain and reverence, these stone figures remain as still witnesses to a world that changes around them. Their faces are worn, their gestures timeless. And in their stillness, something of the eternal is made visible.

Many were once enshrined in sanctuaries—Buddhas sheltered by naga hoods, dvarapalas guarding temple thresholds, deities poised in meditation or motion. Some now lie toppled in the dust, others lean into light through crumbling doorways, yet each holds a quiet, sculptural grace. The sacred lives not only in the whole, but in the fracture.

In this intimate collection from the Spirit of Angkor series, Lucas Varro turns his large and medium format analogue cameras toward these stone presences. Each image is shaped through long exposure, chiaroscuro, and hand-toning, capturing not only the form of the statue, but the breath between form and formlessness. A glance that endures. A posture that remembers. A spirit held in stone.

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

This is a collection of living stillness—where the statues of Angkor are not remnants, but revelations.