Each photograph makes a statement, showing personal solidarity with the Adhoc 5. There are 365 in all: one photo for each day the activists have spent in jail.
The unique work was created by Miguel Jeronimo, a freelance photographer based in Phnom Penh who closely followed the case of the jailed rights workers and an election official, and wanted to mark the anniversary.
Mr. Jeronimo, who has a keen interest in human rights, came up with the idea of having people support the group by holding a portrait of Adhoc’s Lim Mony, Yi Soksan, Nay Vanda, Ny Sokha or election official Ny Chakrya over their own faces, in order for them “to become, for that captured moment, one of the five.”
Over the last month, Mr. Jeronimo traveled in and around Phnom Penh to take photographs of individuals in different settings, including Boeng Kak lake, Borei Keila and the White Building—eviction communities that Adhoc still supports.
The result is “I Am the Five,” an exhibition opening tonight in Phnom Penh. The title takes its inspiration from the slogan #JeSuisCharlie, or #IAmCharlie, which was used after a shooting at the Paris offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in a terrorist attack in January 2015 that left 12 dead.
“The idea is that all these people join with the activists, sending a message to them that all these people on the outside are thinking of them,” Mr. Jeronimo said on Wednesday.
“For me it was very touching to see the commitment to participate of everyone, especially of those from underprivileged communities,” he said. “They have touched so many lives that people were willing to send a strong message of support to them.”
“These five really are in these people’s hearts and their work is an inspiration to everyone. While they might be in prison, they have not been forgotten.”
What: “I Am the Five” exhibition
Where: FCC Mansion, corner of Sothearos Blvd. and St. 178, Phnom Penh
When: 7 p.m. tonight. Runs through Saturday
Free admission
