Phnom Penh & Archives: DonVirao, creating without limits, without compromise, and without stigma
- Editorial team
- Jul 11
- 4 min read
A tribute exhibition will be dedicated to Don Virao starting Sunday, February 13, 2025. In 2021, Cambodge Mag met this unusual artist during his exhibition entitled “Eternal” in Phnom Penh. For this exhibition, he was accompanied by Cambodian photographer Tyta Buth and French designer Jean-Baptiste Carraro. The same people are organizing this tribute to revive the memory of a young and talented artist who left us far too soon.
Art has always sought to provide a unique perspective that helps us better understand our environment. Douglas Victor, aka DonVirao, says he wants to “share his vision of the spectrum of the universe through his paintings.” Interview:
CM: For readers who don't know you yet, can you introduce DonVirao?
It's the alter ego I use for my work and exhibitions. It's an acronym of all my first names, which I've been using since I decided to become a professional painter.
CM: Where does this passion for painting come from?
It came quite naturally. I've been drawing and painting since I was a child. At school, it was all I did, and when I arrived in Cambodia, this passion grew even stronger.
“Painting was a way for me to escape, to express thoughts that I couldn't express in any other way.”
I wanted to make it my profession, even though it wasn't easy. I've always been attracted to music, painting, sculpture, and cinema. I started when I was 10 or 11, using my stepfather's camera to shoot experimental sequences. But I quickly returned to painting because it's much more spontaneous for me. There is no intermediary between the vehicle and the material; the contact is direct. For me, painting is truly authentic and primitive. I am very sensitive to this medium and its magnetism.
CM: What are your sources of inspiration, the painters you admire, those you would like to introduce to others?
It's more of a broad range of cultural resources and experiences that generally inspire me, but mainly observation of nature and the cosmos. I would mention Alex Grey, a painter who creates visionary representations whose work is highly symbolic. Ma Luiming, a contemporary Chinese artist known for his exploration of power and poetry. And finally, Pablo Amaringo, a Peruvian artist who offers us visions of the jungle and nature with a psychedelic dimension.
CM: How do you see contemporary art in Cambodia?
There are very good foundations for a cutting-edge art scene that stands out from the rest of Southeast Asia, and even the world.
“A whole universe is waiting to be created here. The sources of inspiration are endless: the flora is magnificent, the temples...”
The imagination can easily flourish in the kingdom.
CM: You presented your latest work, entitled Dark Mater, a few months ago in Phnom Penh. Can you tell us a little about it?
It was an exhibition about dark matter. This is a very recent topic among our scientific colleagues, who are working to understand where it comes from and whether it existed before matter. There is thought to be 28% dark matter in the universe, approximately one third of which is associated with dark energy, which is believed to make up 67%. These are personal explorations related to the concept of antimatter, where the paintings are very dark
CM: This was your third exhibition in Cambodia. How do you view your previous work?
My last exhibition, Spectrum of the Multiverse, dealt with the “multidimensionality” of the universe. I try to keep this thread running, a story that will lead to the next exhibition by addressing different subjects that are related to each other. I avoid looking back too much; I think that what is done no longer really exists.
I am always searching for new subjects and new techniques to create works that are completely different from my previous ones. I don't want to limit myself to the same subjects; I prefer to explore new techniques, alternate styles, and combine them with my past experience to create something unique.
CM: You mention new techniques and media. Which ones are you currently interested in exploring?
I would like to experiment with copper, fire, and synthetic polymers to achieve effects that cannot be found anywhere else in nature, only through human intervention.
“I'm very interested in anything chemical, in creating art using processes such as rust or oxidation.”
I'd also like to create paintings that are more representative of sculpture, but at the same time “disposable” on a wall.
CM: What are your plans for the future?
To work harder, produce more works than I ever imagined I could; due to a lack of experience and resources, to help develop the art scene in Phnom Penh, because there is so much potential here. I am currently working on my next exhibition and on a project for figurative oil painting workshops.
CM: Why figurative oil painting specifically?
Because it's the foundation. We started painting in caves, then little by little, after discovering pigments, humans found a way to bind them together: oil. It's what we've been using since the dawn of time to represent the world around us. Acrylic has only been around for a short time and, in my opinion, has caused quite a stir. While its creation has opened many doors, it has also obscured the roots of painting, its foundations and its basics.
To gain a good understanding of our profession, I think it's important to learn oil painting techniques and study under a master. If you want to paint accomplished, personal works, it's essential to master realism before exploring more creative forms of painting.
CM: What advice would you give to a young artist who wants to get started?
Only you can do what no one else can do. For a young artist, keep your name and your work clean, then create without limits, without compromise, and without stigma.
Interview by Michael Grao. Photographs: TYTAART and Christophe Gargiulo
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