In Laos, painting as an independent art form generally, let alone contemporary painting, is a surprisingly recent concept. Traditional Lao art focuses on ceramics, textiles, and sculptures with painting used solely within the religious prescriptions of murals painted onto Buddhist temple walls.

Established in 1959, Laos’ National Institute of Fine Arts taught only traditional arts until 1976 when the contemporary curriculum was first introduced.

Marissa Darasavath, *Fishing*, 2013, oil on canvas, exhibited at Singapore Art Museum

Painting as a two dimensional aesthetic language used to communicate outside of religious purposes is still refreshingly new in Laos and the woman taking this language forward is Marisa Darasavath.

Bridging past and present, her vibrant and stylised artworks often depict Laotian women, especially from ethnic minorities, engaged in typical daily tasks such as weaving, fishing, and grating coconuts. (Subject matter is still tightly controlled by Laos’ socialist government).

Marissa Darasavath, *Untitled*, 2013, oil on canvas, exhibited at Singapore Art Museum

Described by The New York Times as a Laotian artist who is redefining contemporary, Darasavath is inspired by her extensive travels across Laos and her firmly apolitical stance.

There is much to see in her detailed works which transport you into the stories of a different culture, allowing your imagination to colour in the blanks.

Marisa Darasavath was born in 1972 in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. She is a 2008 graduate of the Laos’s National Institute of Fine Arts. Widely exhibited, she was one of only two Laotian artists to feature in the Singapore Biennale 2013.

Laos Contemporary