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ASEAN GALLERY

Lao Art: From Tradition and Natureto Contemporary Critique
Written by _ Eunkyung Chung of the E.K. Art Gallery

 

Lao PDR is not typically thought of as a thriving art hub.As a one-party state, the country’s government has beenruled solely by the Lao People’s Revolution Party (LPRP)since 1975. In the past, art was used as a medium by whichto establish and promote both the party and communism.However, by the 1980s, the party began to initiate a set ofreforms that opened the country to the rest of the world andintroduced a market-driven economy. It was on the heelsof these changes that the Lao art scene entered a period ofrenaissance.

Today, while prominent domestic restrictions on artistic remain—political criticisms are not likely tomake it past state censors—many artists are now travelingabroad to release works that wrestle with the rapidenvironmental and social changes that haveaccompanied Lao PDR’s recent economic growth.Others are keen to let their imaginations run free,yielding works of creativity that are earning therespect and admiration of their global peers.The country's leading art education institution isthe National Institute of Fine Arts (NIFA). Sinceits opening in 1959, it has produced some of thecountry’s most outstanding artists. Some of theschool's alumni are passionate about capturing theeveryday lives of common people, as well as urbanand rural landscapes, using an impressionist style.Also, in the works of artists who have returnedfrom studying in Eastern Europe, France, Thailand,and Viet Nam, there are traces of contemporarystyles such as abstract art.

Still others are gaining notoriety at internationalgalleries for the originality of their contemporary artpieces, many of which offer insightful commentaryon Lao society. As the contemporary art scenecontinues to grow, so too are there more art venuesspringing up around the country. In 2018, a specialproject between Lao PDR and South Korea led tothe opening of the Wind Trace Art Museum in aforested area of Pakse, a small town in the southernpart of the country. This joint venture, which wasdeveloped to foster exchanges between the twonations, made news when a Korean was appointedas its first director. A year earlier, the Lao PDR &Korea Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition 2017was held at the National Institute of Fine Arts inthe nation’s capital Vientiane, along with artistsaffiliated with the Korean Fine Arts Associationand the Lao Fine Arts Association. The Lao worksin this exhibition, as mentioned earlier, realisticallydepict the traditional Lao Laotian lifestyle andlandscapes in the impressionist style.