Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Contemporary Lao Art: Khuvieng in the Past, 2010


Khuvieng in the Past. A work from 2010, oil on canvas by the artist Kongphat Luangrath. It measures 43 x 53 cm. Khu Vieng is a road in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. One can see many elements of traditional Lao culture in this evocative image, include a Nak among the houses.

As an artist, he has redefined surrealism among Lao painters. He was born in 1950 in Laos.  He was an instructor at the National Faculty of Fine Arts and a retired printmaker. His formal training includes studies in Bulgaria at the Ecole Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Sofia. In addition to participating in exhibitions in Laos, he has also, among others, taken part in shows in Bulgaria (1988), Bangladesh (1993, 1995), Japan (1994), and the Netherlands (1995). Examples of his are now found in many private collections.

His work is said to capture multilayered, emotional perspectives on life in Laos. A consistent signature technique of his is the incorporation of deep colors and details. At least one gallery believes his works depict "a journey through events in the artist’s life, which are also said to represent Lao PDR’s national struggle." A prevailing concern of his is the future of Laos, where many feel few changes have taken place during the last decades.

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